These people are my family
by GirlSnapOutOfIt
Summary: We all have something that is worth fighting for. Beca's something is her new family, the one with so many different people in it. Will she be able to protect it or will she jeopardize it to find again the love of her life? A "Pitch Perfect" fanfiction set in a "The Walking Dead" scenario, but I own nothing of these two. [Beca , Chloe]
1. Chapter 1

**BECA POV**

**10 months and 6 days since it all started**

I woke up abruptly. The dream I was having almost made me jump on my feet. Yeah my dreams; I'd rather say my nightmares; they were always about the same things, every night, and because of them I couldn't sleep for more than 4 hours a night.  
I couldn't remember when I closed my eyes and drifted to sleep but I noticed that all the others were still in the embrace of Morpheus so I had to have been unconscious just for a few hours. I looked around me. The place was full of clothes and stuff, things we were looking for when we came in Atlanta.  
"Hey girl, did ya sleep fine?" Fat Amy asked me from beside me.  
"Sorry Amy, I didn't want to let you be on guard all alone" I said, trying to stand up but in vain.  
"Now now girl, take it easy. You were very tired and it's not like you usually sleep more than 4 hours every night so yeah count it as my future birthday present" but as she said that she paralyzed.  
Birthday. 2 days ago was the 19th of April and it was Chloe's birthday. I thought that we would have found her before that day but I evaluated wrong the situation. Chloe was nowhere to be found and maybe we would never be able to find her. _Maybe, for Christ's sake, it's too late._  
"Yeah sorry anyway. Ehm I think I'll go wake up the others so that we can finally leave this place" I said without making eye contact with the Australian.  
When everyone was up we all gathered around the pile made with backpacks.  
"Have we taken everything we need?" Bumper asked looking around.  
"We have everything we can take with us without slowing us down" Unicycle answered.  
We were taking the backpacks, one for each person when we heard some gunshots and then an out-of-breath Lily came down the stairs:  
"Guys we have a problem! A big problem! There's someone out there. He is in a panzer now but he is surrounded!"  
"Lets just leave him there then. He will be a dead man anyway. Who is so stupid to go inside a panzer nowadays?" Bumper exclaimed aiming to the door.  
"We can't just leave him there. We have to do something. Moreover, he just shot like 6 or 7 bullets with his gun. The doors are off-limits." Lily explained to us obtaining drop jaws.  
"He just rang the dinner bell" I cursed in a low voice but trying to regain my cold mind I ordered to Lily: "Take me to the roof. Lets see if we can get us and him out of this mess. Then, if we'll be able to do that, I'm going to kick his ass so hard that he will hope he died out there". However before that we came up with half of a plan in which we needed someone who would had to make his life at risk. It was Jasper who volunteered. I believed that he wanted to prove to the group that he deserved to be part of it: he was the only one who wasn't there with us from the beginning; we all knew each other before but him, we saved him 2 months earlier. Most probably he thought that it was his turn to help us. I didn't oppose, there was no time: the dead people were at the doors and they were trying to break them to come in.

I followed Lily up the stairs, Jasper chased us.  
"Lily can you make a contact with the panzer?" I asked the Asian girl.  
"I already did, I was waiting for your instructions"  
"Good. Give me the radio" as Lily handed it to me I spoke into the microphone.  
"Ehi are you alive in there?" I asked, maybe he was already dead. After a few seconds the answer came:  
"Who's there?"  
The voice was distorted but it was not a male voice. It was a girl.  
"Lily, it's a girl" I looked at her.  
"I-I-I thought it was a boy. She was wearing a helmet. She was on a horse. From up here I can't see clearly"  
"Who is it?" the girl asked again.  
"Ehi you!"  
"Where are you? Can you see me right now?"  
"Yeah I can see you. You're surrounded by biters, that's the bad news."  
"There's good news?" she asked me raising her voice a little, maybe in hope.  
"No"  
"Look I don't know who you are but I don't mind telling you I'm a little concerned in here"  
"Oh man. You should see it from over here. You'd be having a major freak-out"  
"Got any advice for me?"  
"Yeah, I'd say make a run for it." I hesitated a little thinking about the plan we made up just a few minutes earlier.  
"That's it? That's all you have to say?" she asked me.  
"Hey it's not as dumb as it sounds. There's one geek still up on the tank but the others have climbed down and joined the feeding frenzy where the horse went down." But the girl didn't say anything.  
"With me so far?" I asked her.  
"So far" she answered straight.  
"Okay, the street on the other side of the tank is less crowded. If you move now while they're distracted, you stand a chance. Got ammo?"  
"I had a duffel bag with some weapons but it's out there"  
"Yeah, forget about it. It's not an option. What do you have on you?"  
"Hang on"  
After half a minute there it was the girl again:  
"I've got a Beretta with one clip, 15 rounds"  
_Thank God, she has something with her._  
"Make 'em count." I spoke in the radio, then I looked at Jasper: "Are you sure of this?"  
"Yeah I can do this!" he answered straight to me but I saw fear in his eyes.  
"Jas, I know you can help her! You're one of the fastest in the group and you're smart" _Or at least I hope so_. I told him putting a hand on his shoulders.  
"Thanks" he said with a little smile.  
I gave my attention back to the radio:  
"Jump off the right side of the tank, keep going in that direction. There's an alley up the street, maybe 50 yards. Someone will be there"  
"Hey, what's your name?" She asked me  
"Have you been listening? You're running out of time"  
"Right" and said so she stopped the communication.  
At the same time I saw Jasper going to the little bridge which hooked up the building in which we were and another one . When I could not see him anymore I went downstairs where the others were arguing about the situation.  
"Get ready. We have to think about our escape from this hell and we can't leave the bags behind us or these days we spent in Atlanta will be useless" and I couldn't let it happen. I couldn't have found Chloe but at least I would give some other comfort days to the group.  
People were chatting together, trying to make a plan when we started hearing footsteps on the floor upon us.  
"We're coming. I have her." Jasper said on the walkie-talkie. I sighed.  
"Wait, he's a she?" Jesse asked.  
I had no time for answering him. We saw Jasper rushing down the stairs followed by a girl who wore a helmet, a yellow and pale blue scarf which covered all her face except for her eyes and she was wearing a grey tank top, blue skinny jeans and combat boots.  
We had no time to look at her face because Bumper took her and pushed her against the wall, drawing his gun on her:  
"You son of a bitch. We ought to kill you!" he shouted at her.  
_Shit._ Bumper could be able to kill her right there. It was true that I myself said that I would have killed her when I had her within arm's reach but we had no time, we still had to find a way to escape and we couldn't kill her just like that.  
"Just chill out man. Back off" I said approaching him.  
"Come on, ease up" Unicycle said from behind me but Bumper kept pushing her against the wall.  
I looked at Jesse to find support but his face clearly showed shock.  
_Why? What'd you see? You can't be scared of Bumper! You punched him so many times while we were out there with walkers all around us just because he wouldn't listen to the orders. So...why you keep staring at the girl like that?_  
I eventually realized that Jesse wouldn't have been of any help so I stepped forward and yelled at him: "Bumper! I said back the hell off!" and I yanked him from her looking at the girl to see if she was ok.  
She was watching away from him and at another direction from where our group was but when she heard the name I called she turned her face towards me. That was when I saw her eyes.  
_Blue. Light blue eyes looking into mine. It can't be. Or it can. Those beautiful eyes belong only to one person._  
Just a word escaped my lips:  
"Chloe..?"


	2. Chapter 2

_Hello guys!  
_First of all, I would like to thank you all...from the ones who followed to the ones who reviewed.  
It's my first attempt to write a fanfiction so I'm really glad that there was someone who liked the chapter.  
Please forgive me for any grammar error: I'm just an italian girl who likes very much the english language and likes to see movies and series in their original language. I can't think about Beca or Chloe or whoever speaking in italian.  
If you have suggestions don't be shy and tell me, I will be very glad to hear from you.  
P.S. the reference period at the beginning of every chapter is really important since we jump from the past to the present repeatedly. Hope it will not confuse you.

**BECA POV**

**3 days since it all started**

With the beginning of Summer vacations Barden University became very quiet. A few people usually decided to stay on campus during the hottest period of the year and I was one of them. Well, it was not really my idea but my father's but I was trying to have a great time anyway. I still went to the courses 'coz my father had eyes everywhere but after that I spent all day mixing or hanging out with Jesse. Even some girls of the Bellas remained at Barden.  
This morning was not different from the others. I had a class at 10a.m. so I decided to wake up at 8a.m. and went to take a shower. I was not a morning person but a shower before classes always helped me stay focus. I came back to my room and I wore dark-gray skinny jeans, a claret tank top and a gray waistcoat with pockets. I looked in the mirror and I was quite satisfied by what I saw but there was something missing: I took my eyeliner pencil and put some make up on me. _Now I'm good to go.  
_That was when I heard a strange noise like that of chains from outside. I looked out the window and I saw a guy hitting repeatedly the closed gate of the university. I couldn't understand what was happening but it couldn't be anything good. After a few minutes I saw 2 teachers and the dean approaching the gate. They were trying to speak to the guy but he didn't show any reaction. Clearly pissed off by the guy's attitude the dean decided to take him by his shirt and pull him against the gate. The younger man didn't seem to take the blow.  
Suddenly, the guy took the dean's arm and he bit it making the older man scream in pain.  
_What have just happened?  
_I froze for a moment and kept watching what was happening: the dean was on the ground and after a few spasms he stopped moving.  
_Is he dead?  
_The other teachers didn't dare to approach him. That's when the knocked down man began to move again and so the female teacher lowered to help him but as she did that the dean grabbed her by her neck and started biting her.  
I snapped out. I took my phone and called Jesse.  
"Becaw!" his voice was distorted. My cell phone didn't work well. _Great.  
_"Jesse, where are you?"  
"I can't hear you clearly. Have you asked me where I am?"  
"Yes"  
"I'm in my room with the guys, why? Are you ok?"  
"Something's happening. Something strange and not in a good way. Can you come to the cafeteria?"  
"Yeah Becs I can be there"  
"How much will it take you to prepare a bag with clothes and important things?"  
"I think it will take me 10 minutes and I will be at the cafeteria in another 10"  
"Good, thanks. Oh and Jesse, don't stop for any reason. Go straight there! Have you heard me?"  
"Loud and clear. See you in 20" He hung up.  
I took a big bag in which I put some clothes, my headphones with my iPod and another empty bag. Then I took the baseball bat I bought several months earlier. When I opened the door I bumped into Lily who had become my roommate with the beginning of a new school year .  
"You, come with me" I said but I saw her going into the room, prepared a bag and took a gun from under her mattress.  
_She already knows what's going on.  
_While we were heading to the cafeteria we stopped at Fat Amy and Cynthia-Rose's room. Luckily they opened the door:  
"Ehi shortstuff! Lily! What ya doin' here?" Fat Amy asked us.  
"Amy take a bag and put in there all you think you need" I turned my attention to Cynthia-Rose:  
"CR please do the same" I saw that the girls were about to ask me something but I interrupted them: "Don't . I will explain everything to you when we will arrive at the cafeteria. Please, I'm not playing around"  
The girls looked at each other for a moment, nodded and then started packing their things.  
When their bags were full I saw another baseball bat in the corner of their room and ordered Cynthia-Rose to take it.  
The next stop was Stacie's room. I instructed her about what she had to do just like I did with the other 2 members of the Bellas. Stacie took 3 minutes to pack her bag and while we were waiting I saw a broom in the hallway. I broke the lower part so that I could make an arm out of it and handed it to Stacie when she came out of her room.  
We were finally ready to head to the meeting place when a blonde guy started aiming at us. He had his clothes covered in blood and his lower jaw was half detached.  
"What's that?" Stacie asked in a panicked voice. Amy and CR were not so cool about the situation neither.  
"Girls, stay behind me" I instructed them. I took the broom from Stacie and as I approached him I stabbed him in his stomach but my move was useless: the guy kept making strange noises and he kept staying on his feet. I stumbled and fell on the floor. The guy was at that time upon me and was trying to reach for my flesh.  
_What can I do?  
_I was trying to take him off of me but he was pretty heavy.  
_Shit my neck.  
_He almost reached it when CR hit him in the head. He flung at the wall and he didn't move anymore.  
"Have ya not seen any horror movie shortstuff? Ya have to hit 'em in tha head!" Amy exclaimed offering me her hand to stand up.  
"Them who?" I asked a little confused.  
"The walking dead" the 4 answered in unison.  
I rolled my eyes. _Seriously? Movies?_

When we arrived at the cafeteria the place was desert. There were some chairs knocked over but no 'walking dead' within sight. I sighed with relief but then I remembered: _Jesse!  
_"Girls take this bag" I told them handing them the extra big and rigid bag I took from my room: "go in the kitchen. Put in there water bottles and all the food with long best-before date. I will wait for Jesse at the window"  
A few minutes later I saw Jesse approaching the building followed by Benji and Unicycle.  
_They are covered in blood and their DIY-weapons are too. They must already know what's going on.  
_"Beca! Are you ok?" Jesse asked me hugging me.  
"Yeah yeah it' s all good. Are YOU ok?"  
"Now I am" he winked at me.  
"Can't you be serious?" I frowned. I heard Benji and Unicycle giggled behind him.  
"We need a camping van or...or a bus. We have to be out of here as soon as possible" I looked at the others who have been approached by the girls.  
"Out? Where? There will be much more walkers in the streets than here. It will be more dangerous!" Benji tried to say.  
"We can't stay here. This school is like a cage" I observed.  
We kept arguing about what to do for 20 minutes. After that we decided to go back to the Treblemakers' house where they had a big camper in the garage used usually for long journeys.  
The way to the house was not clear but there weren't so many walkers neither.  
When we arrived at the garage we heard a noise from back the camper. 3 of us went to the left of it and the other 4 to its right. As my group, composed by Fat Amy and Unicycle, came closer to the noise we saw a shadow. We saw the others behind the guy who had his head in the trunk and so we got ready; I yanked him by his shoulder but when Fat Amy was ready to hit him he yelled: "I'm not one of them!" and he covered himself.  
We looked at each other and then I heard Fat Amy say:  
"Bumper?"


	3. Chapter 3

Here's another chapter. Hope it will be worth the wait. Enjoy!

**BECA POV**

**10 months and 6 days since it all started**

The redhead wrapped her arms around me in a tight embrace.  
At that point I realized that the girl we saved was really Chloe. So I hugged her too, putting all my soul in that gesture.  
I didn't know how much time we spent like that but at one point I heard someone clearing his throat.  
That's when we separated and I looked at the others. The Bellas were all smiling and they gave Chloe a group hug which lasted I thought not less than the previous.  
Throughout that I saw the others smiling but then I looked at Jesse: he was still watching at the wall where Bumper pushed Chloe.  
I got closer to him and whispered:  
"Are you ok?"  
He seemed to regain himself and looked at me: "Yeah yeah I am. So, we've finally found her!" he winked at me.  
I could see in his dark brown eyes that there was something bothering him but I decided to let it go; when he was ready he would tell me.  
When the Bellas let go of the redhead I noticed that nobody had still spoke.  
"So…I know that maybe we all wanna know what's the deal with Chloe but we still need to come up with a plan to get out of here…" I said uncertain.  
I was the most curious of all but I had to take care of the others.  
When they nodded and went to take back their bags, Chloe finally spoke: "Isn't Aubrey with you?"  
CR was about to answer her but I put my hand on her shoulder and looked at her. She understood and kept walking away.  
The gesture didn't go unnoticed to the new girl who probably thought for the worse because I saw tears falling from her eyes and she looked down to cover it. I immediately came closer to her and putting my hand under her chin I made her look at me.  
_Wow those eyes._ Being able again to look into them made me make a little smile and a sigh escaped from me.  
"She's ok" I reassured her. "She's with the others out Atlanta…"  
"She is? She is with you then?" she asked with her voice still broke.  
"Yes, and you will meet her soon. She will be so happy to see you Chlo. You know, she was the one who wanted to come here in Atlanta so that we could try to find you. When you'll meet her you'll have to thank her properly" I lied to her.  
It wasn't the truth but it wasn't a lie neither: Aubrey was the first one who supported me when I told the others we had to stop-off by the city; not everyone understood my idea but most likely the blonde read between the lines and helped me convince them.  
However I did not want Chloe to find out about what I did to find her.  
_She can't know.  
_The group heard my little story and didn't try to deny it. I just saw Fat Amy shaking her head but I ignored her.  
"Guys! Have any of you came up with something? We are running out of time here" I said giving back my attention to the others.  
Lily raised her hand and then she started to explain her idea.  
The plan was covering some of us with the organs of a dead biter because the biters could recognize us from our smell or rather from the absence of dead smell; thus we would walk among them so we could reach a truck that Lily saw not far away from the building.  
We would take another car too so that while the one in the car made himself noticeable with the car-alarm to attract the biters, the one with the truck could come back for the others and "free" them.  
"Well…if bad ideas were an Olympic event, this would take the gold" I said when she finished.  
"Yeah but that' s the only plan we have and we can't take some other time to think this through" Jesse observed.  
It was me and Bumper who had to go out there. I volunteered mainly because there was no other I could trust more than me and the reason why I made the former captain of the Treblemakers come with me was because I didn't trust him alone with the others.  
Out of the corner of my eye I could see a really worried Chloe who was speaking with Fat Amy. I was trying to understand what they were saying when they noticed my concentration towards them.  
So, I just looked at Chloe and smiled at her. She smiled back and my heart melted like it never did in a long time.  
_I missed that smile so much.  
_While we were crossing the big square that separated us from the truck it started raining.  
Bumper almost started panicking thinking that if we didn't reach our goal before the entrails slipped out of us we would be dead. I looked him in the eyes and I was able to calm him down. I didn't even know how but the important thing was that he didn't do something stupid making our lives in danger.  
He was able to arrive at the car, a Ferrari. I jumped on the truck and I approached the door where the others were waiting for me.  
When I heard a bang from the back of the vehicle I made a sudden restart. Finally, we were safe and nobody got hurt. I felt relieved and I could finally enjoy the sensation of having Chloe back in my life.  
2 years had passed since her and Aubrey graduated from Barden and when they left I heard nothing from the redhead.  
I knew I had to ask her why she burn all the bridges but I still wanted so bad to see her smiling.  
I just wanted the best for her even if in this World it just meant a safe place and food.  
The trip was 30 minutes long and I could hear from the back that the guys were laughing and sometimes even singing.  
_Only Chloe can make everybody sing after all we've been through. Damn it, she's so great._

The people outside Atlanta were doing their tasks when we arrived.  
They immediately stopped when they saw a car and a truck coming close but after realizing that it was us, they put down their weapons and approached us to welcome us back.  
Aubrey came immediately to me: when I was at my first year at Barden, we did not get along very much but after the ICCA finals we understood that we were not so different. When she graduated from university she took a job in Atlanta and she used to come see the Bellas' rehearsal every once in a while. That was when we became really close.  
"Ehi Beca" she greeted me but when she saw me covered in organs she turned pale: "Oh my Gosh Beca are you ok? Are you hurt?"  
"Aubrey hi" I half-smiled at her "I'm ok but there's something I wanna show you"  
The blonde was confused, a little concerned too.  
I made her following me to the back of the truck where all the others were chatting and laughing, finally reunited.  
Chloe was surrounded by some people who wanted to ask her where she had been all this time but when they saw us approaching they left her and that was when the two girls finally became aware of the presence of each other.  
Aubrey looked at me for seconds to understand if she was dreaming or I could see the redhead too. I smiled at her and nodded; with that she turned her head back at Chloe just like me and I could finally see the redhead looking honestly happy.  
Her smile reflected that of Aubrey: a bright one. When I saw them hugging I made a step back and went back to the tents.  
I wanted to wash all the walker's innards away and I wanted to go to sleep. I never felt that tired maybe in forever which was a really strange feeling but I wanted to indulge it.

The camp was a few steps away from a lake. I went there to wash myself and when I returned I saw Chloe outside my tent.  
_What is she doing here?  
_"That's mine, make yourself a tent if you want one" I said smirking.  
She looked at me and half-smiled at me. She still didn't open her mouth so I kept speaking to her:  
"We have a few extra tents in the bus. I can go take you one and if you don't know how to pitch it I can ask Jesse. He's very good with it"  
There was still a pause and no word from Chloe.  
_Damn it Chloe, what's the matter?  
_"Red, what do you want from me?" I asked, a little peeved by the girl's silence.  
"Are you and him still a thing?"  
I opened my eyes wide.  
_Really? That's the first thing you say to me after years we don't speak to each other? You gotta be kiddin' me!  
_I sighed. I really wanted to have a civilized conversation with her. I gritted my teeth and answered her:  
"We are not together since…a lot, Chloe. It was not meant to be and luckily we noticed that before we were too deeply in it"  
It was Chloe's time to sigh: "Are you sure he thinks the same as you?"  
"What does it even mean?" I asked her a little exasperated.  
_Where is all this coming from?  
_"I'm sorry but I'm really tired. I want to sleep for a while" I said to her pulling a little up the zip of my tent.  
"Yes. Sorry Beca" she said turning around.  
When I entered the tent I saw an acoustic guitar leaning against one of the fabric walls.  
I hurried myself out and called for the girl who had already distanced herself a bit from my tent:  
"Chlo!"  
She stopped without turning around.  
"Would…I…Come back here please" I almost whispered.  
I was afraid that she didn't hear me because she didn't move a muscle immediately but then I saw her turning slowly.  
When she arrived near me I spoke again:  
"I need to sleep but I'm not really good at it. Can you believe it?" I made a little smile: "Would you like to make me company while I try to sleep?"  
"I'd love that" she mirrored my expression.  
I took her by her hand and when we entered I got into the sleeping bag.  
I saw that the redhead was still standing so I gestured her to get into it with me.  
We were lying on our sides and she was trying to maintain a certain distance between us but I needed her warmth so bad that the following question rolled out my mouth in a whisper without me noticing:  
"Would you mind cuddling with me?"  
She didn't answered but I felt her right arm brush against my hip and then she took my hand into hers.  
She got closer and at that moment I could feel all her body against my back. Her hot breath on my neck made me have goose bumps.  
"Is this ok? Are you cold?" she asked me, misunderstanding the reason of my goose bumps.  
"I'm ok now" I spoke without thinking, yet again.  
We remained in silent for some other minutes and when I noticed I was drifting to sleep I thanked Chloe for the guitar:  
"It was a very sweet gesture"  
I was nearly asleep when the redhead spoke:  
"I want to hear you sing again Becs. That's all I've ever wanted these past 2 years"  
I wanted to ask her why then she didn't call me. What I did wrong. How did she forget about me that easily. But before I could say something I drifted to sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

_AN:  
Hey there!  
I'm not following a regular update program…__at first i was thinking to release a chapter every 7 days but I'm so happy_ _that someone is following and liking the story t__hat I'll try up release a chapter every 5 days. However I'm under exams so i don't know if i can keep the promise_…_I'll do my best!  
Oh, and 'Guestttt', maybe you radar is right, but maybe it is not SO right.  
Love you guys!_

**Chapter 4:**

**BECA POV**

**10 months and 7 days since it all started**

It was dark outside when I was woken up. Chloe called me.  
"I…I woke you up sorry" I said trying to even my breath.  
"You were having a nightmare, it was me who woke you up so it's me who has to apologize if anything"  
"Yeah but it was me who was probably moving…Oh my God have I hurt you?"  
I turned myself so that I could face her. I instinctively put my hand on her cheek and looked at her in her eyes. When I saw her blushing I realized my gesture and immediately put away my hand from her.  
"You didn't hurt me. I was worried so I woke you up" she half smiled at me.  
"You did right. Damn I probably slept more than 6 hours. It's an achievement" I mirrored her expression.  
"You don't sleep much…How's that?"  
"You just saw the reason. I have nightmares that don't let me enjoy a good sleep" I answered her shrugging.  
"I' m sorry" she says simply.  
"Don't be. I am used to it. Moreover it makes me help with the nighttime watch"  
"Do you want to stand up?"  
"Yeah. I don't think that I will be able to go to sleep again. But you can stay. You must be exhausted"  
"No I'm not" Chloe said but I saw her covering a yawn.  
"Don't lie to me Red" I said to her exiting the sleeping bag: "Sleep some more. In this world is one of the most important thing" and with that I left the tent.

It was Aubrey's turn on watch. I was relieved that it was her, at least it was someone with whom I could speak easily.  
_She's shaking, she must be cold.  
_I took a blanket, I climbed the stairs which brought in top of the bus and I sit down near the blond.  
"Hey Bree"  
"Another nightmare?" and taking the blanket to cover herself she thanked me with a smile.  
"Yeah. Well actually, thanks to Chloe, I slept more than just a few hours so I'm not complaining" I kept looking around the camp without making eye contact with Aubrey.  
"Thanks to her? What does it mean?" she asked me.  
"Mmmmm well I kind of asked her to sleep with me..?" I ended my sentence like it was a question.  
"You did what?"  
"We slept together…Oh my God, not like what you're thinking. We just…cuddled" I said lowering my voice at the end.  
Aubrey's response was just a laugh.  
"She didn't even arrived in a day and you are already whipped" she smirked at me.  
"I'm not!"  
"Yes you are"  
"No I'm…" I stopped and sighed.  
_She's Aubrey. I don't have to lie to her. She can read me anyway.  
_Suddenly the blonde became serious.  
"She told me she has to go back you know"  
"What?" I asked her shocked.  
"When you left us earlier we had time to speak. She is not alone. She was staying at her grandparent's house near Atlanta with her 2 cousins. That's why she was in the city. She was trying to find supplies and she was alone because her cousins are 10 and 12. She can't leave them. She's staying the night but tomorrow morning she will go back to them"  
_Is this all real? I just found her…Am I losing her again?  
_"Why didn't she tell me anything?" I asked furious.  
"I don't know Becs. Maybe she just wanted to feel normal again with you after such a long time"  
"Normal? Seriously Bree? How can there be something normal in this new worlds? Nothing is normal anymore"  
"You are so wrong Beca…"  
"No I'm not. And I'm not letting her go back"  
"You can't stop her! And what about the 2 kids? Do you want to leave them there? Do you want to leave them to die?"  
_I don't know. Yes? No? How can she do this to me? Wait…to me? I don't have any rights on her. She can do whatever she wants, even walk away from me. She did that already. How can I pretend that she will not do that again?  
_"How can you let this happen?" I asked Aubrey.  
"I can't do anything. I'm already doing all I can"  
"And what is it? Stay here and watch her walk away?"  
There was a pause and then she spoke again:  
"I'm telling YOU"  
_And what can I do?  
_"Yeah well she has already walked away from me ones Bree. I will not be able to stop her, not even this time"  
"Who says you have to stop her?"  
I was about to ask her what she meant when Jesse climbed up:  
"Hello girls" he smiled at us.  
"Is it time already?" Aubrey asked the young man.  
"Yep. You can go to sleep now"  
"Thank God" the blonde exhaled deeply.  
"Ehi you have to thank me not God, it's me who's taking over not him!" he smirked at her.  
"You're such a profane" she smirked back.  
She was climbing down the bus when she looked at me and said: "Think about it Becs"  
"What do you have to think about?" Jesse asked me.  
"I don't know. I didn't understand"  
"I don't believe you" he stated.  
"Well if you believe me or not it's your choice. I can't make you believe me but if you have an idea about what I have to think about, well, enlighten me dude" and when I told him that I understood. I understood that I couldn't make Chloe stay, but I could go with her. I could make her do that journey with me and we could take the two kids and then come back to the camp.

A little light from back a mountain became noticeable. After half an hour all the place around the camp could be seen perfectly.  
"It's beautiful" Jesse said looking at the sunrise.  
"Yeah it is" I agreed with him.  
At one point I saw Chloe going out my tent. Jesse noticed that too because he asked me:  
"Have you two slept together?"  
I could feel my face warm up.  
_He's not asking you if you two had sex you moron. Or is he?  
_"She didn't have a tent and we wanted to talk a little so I made her sleep in mine"  
_Way to go stupid. It sounds like you're trying to condone yourself.  
_I wanted to find a way to escape Jesse's questions so I decided to face Chloe regarding her imminent departure. I stood up and when I saw Jesse opening his mouth to speak, I spoke first:  
"I have to go tell her something. See you soon J" and with that I left him.  
The redhead went to the lake, probably to clean up a bit, so I decided to wait for her. When I could locate her she was returning at my tent.  
"Good morning Chlo" I smiled at her: "Have you slept well after I left?"  
"I have, thanks. And good morning to you too" she smiled back.  
I hesitated a little. I did not know how to face the subject. The redhead probably noticed that because she asked me:  
"Aubrey talked to you, didn't she?"  
I could see nervousness in her eyes.  
"Yes she did. Why didn't you tell me yesterday?"  
"I was in front of your tent to talk to you about it but then…I don't know. I'm sorry I didn't tell you" she looked down.  
"You said you gave me the guitar because you wanted to hear me play again. How can you if you'll go away?" I asked her remembering the previous night.  
"I...Wait...you heard me?" she asked shocked.  
"I was nearly asleep but I heard you, yes" I simply answered.  
"You have to play the guitar Beca. You can't stop playing"  
"I will not play it if you're not around Chlo"  
"Don't be a child"  
"A child? You're the one who's running away again" I snapped at her.  
"Again?!"  
I sighed.  
_She wants to go away. This is not the time to speak about what happened before._  
"I'm coming with you" I stated all at once. My mouth spoke all alone yet again but I didn't regret what came out of it.  
"You are not serious" she simply says.  
"Oh no, I've never been so serious in all my life. We can take a car and go back to your grandparent's house. We'll take the kids and then we can come back here. If we hurry up we can make it in one day. Hell, we can come back for dinner even!"  
_Please, please, please say yes.  
_"I don't think it's a good idea Becs…"  
_Shit. C'mon Chlo.  
_"And why's that?"  
"The kids will never survive out here. They can't kill anyone and they can't be useful for the group. I don't even think that the others will want them here"  
"I don't give a shit about the others!" I half screamed. That's when Jesse stepped in:  
"Girls! What's going on?"  
"Jesus Christ, what are you doing here?" I yelled at him.  
"You were yelling Beca. Hell you're even yelling at me now! Something's wrong?"  
"It's none of your business Jesse" Chloe stated.  
"You are making her shout, of course it's my business"  
"No it's not. You're not her boyfriend, not anymore" it was Chloe's time to raise her voice.  
"And you're so happy about it uh? It's all you ever wanted, isn't it Chloe?"  
_Jesse what are you saying? Why're saying this?_  
"Not even this is your business Jesse. Now leave us alone!" the redhead pushed him away.  
_What the Hell?  
_"Guys!" I put myself between them: "Stop it, right now! Jesse, I'm sorry I was yelling, it won't happen again. I'm talking to Red about something. Please, leave us alone and keep watching". His eyes were pure hatred while he was staring at Chloe. He turned around without saying another word, not even to me.  
"Chloe, the others will understand. You have 2 kids out there who are waiting for you to come back. We can call a meeting in 30 minutes at most and I will say my plan. We will vote and then we'll see what'll happen. Ok?"  
The redhead didn't seem won over. I reached for her hand and I squeezed it. I wanted to make her understand that I would never let her disappear from my life again.  
_Why do I want her so bad? She's already left me, why do I still crave her like this.  
She will hurt me again. And this time it will be all my fault, fool.  
_"All right. But if the majority votes for me to not take the kids back with me then I will not come back at all" she said with a confident gaze.  
I smiled at her and I left her hand so I could go call the group to discuss the issue.

I could see pissed off faces looking at me when I started speaking. If it wasn't for the meeting, they would have slept some more hours.  
I explained Chloe's story to everyone and I even explained my plan. Oddly, the group listened to me without stopping me so I was pretty worried that they didn't like the situation. When I said my last word, Jesse was the first who spoke:  
"You can't be serious Beca" he simply said.  
"Yeah Mitchell, you're just going to waste fuel. They are already dead in my opinion" Bumper shrugged off the circumstance. I could sense Chloe stiffening at his statement.  
The meeting went on for almost half an hour when we finally decided to vote. We placed two large leaves side by side with the one on the left representing the vote "Don't go" and the other on the right symbolizing the vote "Go". Everyone had a pebble and the vote consisted in placing it on the leaf he wanted. It was Aubrey who counted the votes and when she stated that it was a tie I almost hurt myself by closing my hands in fists with too much strength.  
I didn't think about the possibility of a tie. Our way of voting always worked. There was always an idea which triumphed on the other.  
_Fuck this! Fuck everyone. I'm going. I will not let Chloe walk away.  
_While I was thinking these things I heard Stacy speak:  
"Chloe didn't vote yet!"  
_Yeah great. She'll vote against my plan. She's so happy about walking away from me again. I'm so tired of craving her presence.  
_There was another little discussion about Chloe's right to vote. She was not part of our group yet after all. However, Jesse convinced everybody that the redhead had to vote.  
I knew he did that because he most probably overheard the previous conversation between me and Chloe so when he looked at me I just exhaled deeply knowing what would happen next.  
Chloe grabbed a pebble and approached the two leaves. She hesitated a little but then she made her decision.  
When she walked away from the temporary voting station, her vote could finally be seen by everyone: while there were sighs of relief or expressions of surprise on their faces, I just kept staring at the pebble in a blank look asking to myself:  
_Why Chlo?_

_AN:  
I know, I know…No zombies…but you'll see them I promise. I just have to give them a good entrance._


	5. Chapter 5

_AN:  
I delayed the update of this chapter because I was not so sure about what I wrote (and because of an exam I really don't want to fail ugh)…I'm not really convinced about it yet, I feel like something's missing, but I want to give to all of you Aubrey's POV so that you will understand some things I want to write in the next chapters. Hope it's just my feeling and that you'll like it._

**Chapter 5:**

**Day 0**

**Aubrey POV**

The day started as all the previous ones.  
I took the keys of the BMW I had in the garage and I closed the door.  
_I have to gas up the car _I thought when I noticed that the tank was almost empty.  
Yes, my actions were the same as that of the days before, but it was the first time I was reluctant to go to work:  
not only because I had this bad feeling in my chest that was pissing me off since I woke up, but also because the day before my family had arrived to pay me a visit and I really wanted to be with them.  
I was not excessively attached to my family, we were all so damn stubborn and committed to our beliefs that sometimes it was hard to be around them but they were my family after all.

The hospital where I was an attendant was not far away from my building;  
the only reason I took the car to go there was because of appearance.  
My father taught me that and in the years I lived in Atlanta I noticed he was right.  
The first hours were spent between checks and conversations but after that, chaos gain the upper hand.  
2 people were brought in, both because of bites which didn't want to stop bleeding.  
Rumors started spreading in the OR and in the hospital, rumors about people biting others.  
The 2 people died almost immediately, all the doctor's efforts useless.  
At that time, rumors were made by doctors too…nobody could understand why people kept dying because of a bite.  
Moreover, _Why the hell people were biting each other?  
_I was busy, too busy even to worry about my family.  
I thought about calling them so many times, but I was always called somewhere in the hospital to help out.  
By the time I had 5 minutes, I took my phone and dialed my mother's number: the answering service.  
I tried on my father's: the answering service.  
_Oh c'mon, they can't still be asleep!  
Maybe my cousin left the phone on during the night!  
_But the answering service answered me, again.  
_Crap…God, ensure they're fine, please._

Another hour went by and we had to call some police officer to keep everyone cool.  
People asking for their relatives, people searching for a safe place, people talking about zombies.  
_Zombies? Are they all crazy? Maybe there's a new drug in town…  
_I kept working.  
"Aubrey?" I heard a male voice call me.  
When I turned my head, I sighed with relief:  
my father was holding my cousin, who it seemed had a problem walking, while my mother was behind them talking to my aunt._  
_"Thomas what have you done? Father, why's you phone off? Mom, why do you have bags with you?"  
I was ranting, all my relief for seeing them safe and sound made my heart lighter.  
I didn't even notice the feeling of apprehension I was carrying since I couldn't reach my relatives with the phone.  
"All the lines are busy, darling" my mother simply explained to me.  
"Aubrey, can you please give a look to your cousin? I think he twisted his ankle while we were coming here..."  
They didn't answer to my last question but it could have waited.

"Your ankle is not twisted" I smiled at Thomas: "You just have to not stress it too much…I'd give you a bed but it's crazy today and we don't have rooms…"  
I was racking my brains, trying to think about a place where I could put him and my family, when I remembered we had rooms for doctors so they could have a nap during their shift:  
there was just one bed but the chairs were enough for everyone.  
I knew I had to go back to work but I still had to receive an answer:  
"So, tell me what you're doing here…"  
"Darling, you have…  
"Don't" I stopped my mother: "I know I have to go help, but you don't come here just to. You have your bags and Thomas is injured. Now, I know he is kind of clumsy, but…" I stopped. I was ranting again.  
I took a big breath and I started again: "Are you going away?"  
My question was legitimate, they had packed their bags after all.  
"Yes"  
I looked down: "Why?" I whispered.  
"The city is on chaos Bree…We have to leave, we can reach you grandma's house…It's out of town…We don't know what's going on…they're organizing groups to leave. We'll join them and then we'll go our own way" my aunt explained.  
"An evacuation?" I kept whispering without making eye contact.  
"People are killing each other. They bite. WTH! It's zombie's era cousin!"  
"Now Thomas, don't be a fool. There's nothing like zombies. It must be a drug" my father reasoned out.  
"Please, wait another hour…maybe 2…I'll come back and we'll speak again. Thomas can't walk anyway. Sleep, talk, do whatever you want, but wait for me ok?" I asked looking at them again.

Just a little more than an hour had passed when all my life changed for good.  
The front doors have been closed, nobody could come in but nobody could leave either. People who didn't act like one clumped together, trying to come in.  
Neither some people in the hospital act normally.  
At some point the police officers even opened fire.  
_Like we don't have too much injured people around here.  
_I aimed for the room where I left my family but I noticed the door was open; when I arrived in front of it there was no one waiting for me.  
_Where the hell did they go?  
_Sounds of struggling and gasping could be heard just around the corner.  
When I turned the corner I found my cousin down on his back with a person on him.  
My aunt was trying to remove the person from his son while my mother was on the ground with her back against the wall.  
_Where's my father?  
_I took a tray I saw on my left and I hit the man on his head with it.  
I didn't even think about what I was doing. I just went for it.  
_Maybe I learned something from my self-defence course.  
_That was when I noticed who was on my cousin.  
_Father?  
_Blood was all over him and now it was also on his head, right where I hit him.  
"Mother? Are you ok?"  
But my mother didn't turn away from my father's body.  
"Mother…I'm…I'm sorry…I…"  
"Don't" my aunt said to me: "He was not him anymore. He was trying to bit Thomas…"  
"What the hell happened? I thought I told you to stay in the room!"  
"We heard the gun shots. We wanted to go out of here. But we bumped into this…this man who didn't answer us when we asked him what was happening. He just kept approaching us, your dad was the one who understood that he didn't have good intentions but he…he couldn't do anything. He slipped and the man was able to bit him. He…"  
But Thomas didn't finish. He couldn't. Maybe it was too much for him.  
"I'm so so so sorry you had to face it" I made a little pause:  
"We have to get out of here"  
"But there's no escape. We are trapped in here!" my aunt said.  
"I know some emergency exits around here. We can try them"

The first two doors I guided my family to were out-of-reach; they were opened and some..biters even entered from them.  
On the way to the third door we had to kill 5 biters. They were hard to tear down because we just thought we could hit them everywhere but quickly my cousin observed that he would have never been dead, again, if we didn't hit them in the head.  
"Just like you did with your father"  
I could feel my mother tense.  
_Way to go cousin.  
_When the way seemed clear we tried to open the door:  
the road where the exit brought was a lot crowded. _Biters, definitely._

We had to organize ourselves. We had to have a plan. Where was our goal, how to reach it, what weapon we could use.  
_Wait. Chloe! She lives just out Atlanta with her uncles. Maybe there are no biters there. We can take a car, we can go there. But…she doesn't answer me since…since we spoke about Beca. Will she answer me?  
_I took my phone from my pocket. I stared at the screen for some seconds and then I dialed her number.  
_No time for thinking._  
_It's beeping.  
_3…4…5…_  
Damn it Chlo!_  
I sighed.  
_Wait…Maybe Beca…Barden is more distant than Chloe's place but it's an option…  
_This time I received an answer:  
"Ehi blondie!"  
"Beca? Oh my…Beca…Are you ok?"  
A little hesitation:  
"I…I am…I know I almost cried on the phone the other day but you know…I had that moment I always have when we talk about…her…you know…it's not a big deal…"  
"No Beca, is everything ok around there?"  
"Yeah it's all good. The Bellas are going to be ok with the champions, don't worry!" I could imagine her rolling her eyes.  
She doesn't know anything. There are no biters. It's a safe place.  
I was going to speak again when Beca came first:  
"Look Bree, I'm really ok. I have to go. Jesse's waving me to hurry up. I'll call you later. Good day blondie" and she hung up.  
_Shit.  
_I tried to call her again but she didn't answer me.  
_Damn Beca!  
_I explained my family where we could go and how. They agreed with my plan. It was the only plan after all.

**3 and 4 days since it all started**

It DID NOT went how I wanted. It DID NOT EFFIN' went as it was supposed to go.  
I was alone. I remained alone.  
I wasn't able to protect them.  
They didn't deserve to die like that. They didn't deserve to die.

Our car stopped at half way. We had to go ahead, by foot.  
We did not have the right equipment for a long journey.  
It was my aunt who gave up first: we had some biters behind us. They were not so closed so we decided to not deal with them because we were too tired; my aunt stumbled and decided she didn't want to stand up again. She said that she just wanted to rest. But she couldn't. We tried to trail her, we even tried to face the biters ones they were too closed. But in vain.  
The first loss on me.  
My mother was the next. It was not the biter's fault. Well, not directly. Her body couldn't take the labor. Too old for this new world.  
I couldn't even cry. I essentially did not have water anymore in me. I couldn't even say something to her. I did not know what to say.  
The second loss on me.  
My cousin died a hero to me. He saved my life. He saved my life so I could live. I didn't know if I would thank him but he sacrificed himself for me so I made the promise to myself that I had to go on, that I had to try my best to arrive at Barden.  
No vacillation.

When I started recognizing the roads I felt like my energies had come back.  
I was able to knock down 2 biters who mistaken me for an easy target.  
_Thank you baseball bat._

Arrived at Barden, I thought to aim to the Bellas' sorority place but my gut told me otherwise;  
I took a road I hated for so many years: the road to the Trouble's house.  
I hoped I was right. I hoped they did not go away just yet.  
_My God, what if they are all gone already? Or worse, what if they didn't make it.  
No they can't.  
They HAVE to be ok.  
They are ok.  
_While I was having those thoughts I reached the target.  
Noises and soft voices could be heard from the back of the house where I knew there was the garage.  
My heart lightened.  
I wanted to run. I wanted to shout Beca's name.  
But none of that I did. I couldn't.  
My body almost didn't respond to my orders anymore.  
When my heart lightened, all the adrenaline I had in circulation stopped its effect.  
I could feel my muscles ache.  
I could feel my mouth so dry.  
I collapsed right there. Not more than 300 feet from my salvation.  
I was about to close my eyes, apologizing in my mind to my cousin for not keeping my promise, when a figure entered my field of vision.  
_Please biter go away. Let me die without suffering.  
_But it was not a biter.  
Brown, long hair fall down her head.  
They were not as brown as I remembered.  
_Maybe it's not her.  
But I'd recognize her even in a crowd.  
_"S…You bleached your hair" I said to her when I saw her bend on me, worried but mostly shocked to see me there.

_AN:  
Since PP2 has already been released in America and other countries (unfortunately I have to wait until the 20-something of May here in Italy), I hope that you have understood who 'saves' Aubrey at the end of this chapter (I immediately noticed the difference in 'her' hair when I saw the trailer); however, even if you didn't, I have this idea that they'd be good together so you'll most probably read more interactions between the two of them in the future.  
Now, do you see Aubrey in a medicine field? I thought to make her a lawyer but I needed someone to know how to cure not laws. After all, who needs them in a world where zombies are in charge!  
I love you awesome nerds!_


	6. Chapter 6

_AN:  
Enjoy!_

**Chapter 6:**

**CHLOE POV**

**10 months and 7 days since it all started**

"What's that?" I heard Jesse whisper when he noticed where I placed the pebble.  
"My voting pebble" I simply answered him. I knew he was angry at me, he has looked at me with angry eyes since I returned in Beca's life and answering like that didn't help me entering in his good graces; but I didn't really care.  
"Why you voted for you to come back?" he asked gnashing his teeth.  
I sighed heavily.  
_Is that a rhetorical question? You know why you jerk.  
_When I looked at him I noticed he had a pissed off expression and that made me smirk at him.  
We finally traded places: this time, it was him who had to see me win.  
However, I didn't want to give Jesse more attention that he deserved so I turned my head to Beca:  
she had a blank expression, I couldn't really understand what she was thinking.  
_Isn't she happy? She's the one who suggested I could come back…  
_Worried about her lack of enthusiasm I approached her and when she was covered by my shadow she looked off the temporary voting station and I locked eyes with hers: their color, a stormy blue, reflected Beca's turbulent thoughts.  
_Are you having second thoughts? _I was just about to ask her that, when a little smile started showing on her lips.  
"I think you have to go take the car, young lady" I winked at her recovering from my concern.  
The trip would have been not so long: it would have taken us 2 hours more or less both going and coming back; however, that was it without considering hindrances and in this new world they were not redundant.  
"Meet me at the SUV in 10" she asserted, aiming at her tent.  
I smiled and I approached Aubrey, Stacie and Amy who were looking at me with grins on their lips.  
"Your honeymoon's arranged ginger!"  
_Does she know?  
_I looked at Aubrey to understand Amy's statement but the Australian spoke again:  
"C'mon ginger! Do ya really think I didn't notice? You're too obvious!"  
_Am I? Why Beca didn't say anything then? Maybe…Maybe Jesse was right, she had never thought about me in that way!  
_"Jesus, the sexual tension between you two could have been cut with a knife every damn time you were around each other!" Stacie said and then, looking at Aubrey and grinning even more, she added: "You always made me horny just being near you!"  
I saw Aubrey blush and glance down. It was so not her. I knew I had to ask her about it but I kept thinking about Stacie's first statement.  
"She doesn't want me like I want her" I whispered.  
"You two have just eye fucked Chlo!" the brunette raised her arms to remark the banality of the situation.  
Aubrey looked askance at the two Bellas, lingering on Stacie, and taking me by the arm she dragged me to her tent.

"You're going to need this" she told me handing me a baseball bat. My eyes widened at the sight of the weapon.  
"I…I don't think I will need that" I said to her without taking the weapon in my hand.  
"Trust me, you will. Have you not used a weapon so far?"  
_Is it even possible to be a survivor and haven't used a weapon yet?  
_"Of course I've had Bree…I just don't want the kids to see me with one when they'll first meet me again"  
"It's not like you'll have a gun in your hand Chlo. You'll need to protect yourself! And you'll need to protect the kids when you'll arrive there"  
She was right. I knew that. I took the weapon from her, even if reluctantly.  
"What's going on with you and Stacie?" I asked her straight. We didn't have much time after all.  
"What do you mean?" I saw her stiffen.  
"Oh c'mon Bree! We haven't talked a lot this past years but you're my best friend. I know you…"  
She hesitated.  
"Nothing's going on"  
"Bree…"  
"Seriously! I…I might have a crush on her but nothing happened. She always gives me winks and she makes jokes but nothing more. You know how Stacie is…She likes make people uncomfortable and she likes flirting…"  
_Yeah, and then she likes to sleep with them. But not with you…there's something more you haven't understood just yet Aubrey…_  
I could see that the blond was not happy about the topic so I decided to change it knowing that she'll speak with me about it when she will be ready.  
"Do you have any suggestion about the journey?" I asked my best friend.  
After a while she looked me in the eyes and she said:  
"Listen to Beca. She knows what to do. I don't know how, but she makes the right decisions, always, even if she'd say differently"  
I nod and I approached the car which will take me and Beca to my two cousins.

Greetings before the departure were brief;  
what was not short was Jesse's attempt to convince Beca to stay and make me leave alone, however his action didn't help his cause:  
the brunette spoke to him through gritted teeth, I couldn't understand what they were saying but I was expecting yells or a slap…None of them happened.  
All I could understand, at the end of their argue, was the angriness in Jesse's eyes towards me.

The first 10 minutes of the journey were driven in silent.  
_2 years without even a message….what can I say?  
_"How did you and Aubrey find each other after the…Apocalypse?" I hesitated at the last word. I didn't really know how to refer to what was happening to the human kind.  
She didn't answer to me immediately. I even started to think that the journey would have been characterized by silent.  
"She came to me. When the Apocalypse started I mean, she just came to me.  
In Atlanta the disease had spread some days prior compared to Barden…She was the only one of her family who was able to reach us.  
She didn't find me however…It was Stacie who found her outside the Treble's house…She was dehydrated and I think she hadn't eaten for days.  
I'm not sure what she went through.  
I've never asked.  
When she needed to speak about it, about whatever she wanted to tell me, she knew I was there for her without judging, just like she was there for me when I needed someone to speak to" the brunette said, emphasizing the last part.  
_Maybe that's when Stacie and Aubrey became closer…Stacie practically saved her life after all._  
"So she warned you about…about the changes that were happening?"  
"Oh no no, they kind of…collided while we were preparing to leave Barden because it was already danger to remain there. It's a long story…"  
Silence, again.  
"How did you become the leader of the group?" I asked.  
"I'm not. They listen to me, they believe I make good decisions, but it's not a dictatorship.  
You've seen it with your eyes: we vote. I'm not a leader. Even when you and Bree left me in charge of the Bellas, it was Stacy who directed them best. I don't even think I make right decisions. Or better, I KNOW I don't make them" she explained to me.  
"And why you think that?"  
She shrugged.  
All the time she kept her eyes on the streets.  
Me, on the contrary, couldn't take my eyes off of her. She changed in these years we were apart. She was skinnier and her features were pronounced now, making her even more beautiful.  
"I can feel you stare at me Chlo. If you want to tell me something, just do it"  
_I love you.  
Wait what? No I don't.  
I can't.  
Geez, you can't or you don't?_  
"I missed you" I saved myself from saying something stupid.  
_That was stupid anyway you know.  
_That was the first time in all the journey Beca stopped looking at the road and looked at me. She didn't linger much but I could read in her eyes confusion.  
"Why?" she asked me.  
_What?_  
"What?" Maybe I understood wrong.  
She sighed.  
"Why Chlo. Why you cut all the bridges between us? When you left Barden, you left me too. You left all the Bellas. Jesus Christ, you even left Aubrey. Why's that?"  
_Because I couldn't bear to see you with Jesse...I couldn't bear speak to anyone who was from Barden because it would have reminded me of the fact you were his, and that flippin' hurt.  
_"It's complicated" I shrugged.  
"You can't get away with it like that. I thought I would have never seen you again"  
"I'm here now"  
"Yeah…"

The rest of the journey was made between silence and brief conversations. After the first attempt to ask me why I became a stranger when I left Barden, she stopped questioning my choice.  
All the way to my uncle's house, we run across a few walkers. I asked Beca why she didn't ran across them, we wouldn't have met them again to the way back after all. She explained to me that their bodies could have got stuck with the wheels leaving us without a car anymore. Better avoid them then.  
"Did you become a teacher as you told me you wanted to be?" Beca asked me after another quiet time.  
_I told her that so many years ago…  
_"I didn't know you would have remembered! You actually listened to me?" I was a little startled.  
"Most of the time, yeah" she smirked at me.  
_I missed that smirk so much…  
_"Well, I actually worked in an elementary school. The kids were so great!" I smiled.  
But then I remembered they probably didn't survive and my smile fell: "I miss them, you know. They always gave me drawings about me and them"  
She nod. She put her right hand on my knee and shake it to cheer me up.  
I could feel her warm touch through my jeans.  
I closed my eyes and I enjoyed the feeling she was giving me, a feeling I didn't sense for over 2 years.  
"Chlo you have to keep your eyes open, I don't know where we are going remember?"  
In effect, when I reopened my eyes I noticed we were just missing the turn on the left she had to take. I made her turn and we entered a dirt road which in less than 10 minutes would have gotten us to my cousins.  
"I'm going to approach the house slowly. I don't want the walkers to hear us too much. Maybe we can take you cousins and leave without having to fight"  
I could see Beca focusing on the woods around the road.  
We parked and we noticed the front door was closed.  
_It's a good sign.  
_A walker came out of the woods but Beca quickly got rid of it cutting its head with her sword.  
I haven't seen her killing an undead before so I froze on my place bewitched.  
The brunette noticed that and with a sad look apologized for the scene.  
"It's ok" I snap out of my trance. There was nothing to apologize for after all.  
The door didn't seem forced.  
I opened it immediately, almost wide.  
I felt Beca's hand grabbing on my arm and when I looked at her I saw anger in her eyes.  
"Are you out of your mind? We have to check if it's safe before coming in!" her grip was increasing at every second.  
But I was impatient. I wanted to know if my cousins were ok. I couldn't wait another minute.  
So, I didn't listen to her.  
"Guys? It's me, Chloe!"  
Beca's grip kept on increasing.  
"Shit" I heard her say between her teeth.  
She put herself in front of me when she heard footsteps coming from the dark hallway. It seemed to me they were slow and watchful. Maybe because they were that of walkers.  
_But the door was closed. No blood anywhere.  
_Beca raised her sword when a little figure started revealing itself.  
Another step and the foot was shown.  
Another step and all the legs could be seen.  
Another step and the face was unveiled.  
"Chlo?"  
It all went by so fast:  
Beca lowered her sword and took a step aside to let me reach the figure in front of me, but my knees fold up making me fall on them.  
_She's ok. She's alive. There's no blood on her.  
_My sight became blurred because of the tears that were falling freely by then.  
I then felt a weight on me and understood the little girl was hugging me. I embraced her with all my strength. Just a little more and I would have crushed her.  
"I missed you so much Vivy…" I whispered in her ear.  
"Where's your little brother?" I asked the girl when I was finally happy enough about the hug.  
She didn't answer me. She just called him and from the dark I could see his figure showing.  
"Tim!" I stretched out my arms and I was covered again by a body, being this time that of the little boy.  
"Are you Beca?" I heard my cousin ask the brunette.  
"Is my name written on my forehead?" Beca asked surprised, touching that part of her body in a clumsy way.  
The little boy giggled.  
_She's good with kids.  
_"Beca, these two little monsters are my cousins: Virginia and Timothy. Guys, this is Beca. You already know her from my stories" I winked at Beca, trying to cover my nervousness about my declaration of having talked about her to my little relatives.  
I noticed the confusion on the brunette's face.  
I just made a wide smile, I knew we didn't have a lot of time.  
"Hello there. Chloe wanted to leave me to come back to you so you must be really important to her. Then, you're really important to me too…" I saw Beca smirk to them; it was a different smirk from that she always made me. She had already won Timothy but with what she said, she won Virginia too.  
"However…Chlo, we have to leave. Better hurry before other walkers come closer to the house"  
I nod.  
"Go upstairs, take your bags and put some clothes in them. Me and Beca will take supplies from the kitchen" I told the two kids.  
They didn't protest.

"You're good with children" I said to the brunette while we were putting canned goods in our bags.  
"I'm dorky with them" she frowned.  
"Kids love goofy adults" I winked at her.  
I saw her cheeks reddened.  
_Are you blushing Beca?  
_"I'm a badass Red, remember?"  
That statement made me laugh.  
"We both know you're not. You're a sweetie" I kept smiling.  
"You don't have proof girl. I'm a badass dj!" she sulked.  
"Memories are my proof, GIRL, and in my memories you put blankets on me when I fall asleep in your bed and you make me special dinners when I skip too many meals to study" I locked eyes with her.  
She blushed again. I thought she would have looked away but she didn't.  
I could see something in her eyes. I just didn't really understand what it was.  
Whatever it was, it made me get closer to her.  
When I put my right hand on her left I could feel her warmth and that made me wonder if I would have felt the same heat touching her neck, her cheek…  
I was slowly climbing her arm with my hand and I reached her biceps when a scream filled the house.  
_Vivy?_  
The horror on my face was mirrored by Beca's.  
The brunette was the first one to react. I saw her exiting the kitchen and climb the stairs, grabbing the sword that she had propped against the wall.  
Again, it was all in slow motion:  
when my legs decided I could move again, I left the room.  
Before taking the stairs I looked at the door and I saw it was open, with 2 walkers knocked down with their heads cut.  
_Didn't we close the door when we came in?  
_When I arrived to the upper floor another walker was on the ground. I looked to my right where I knew there was the kids' room.  
I could see Timothy at the corner of the bedroom. That's when I saw the body of an undead falling near him.  
I approached the younger cousin, afraid he could have been bitten.  
_He seems fine. He's just scared and he is crying but he seems fine.  
_Suddenly I saw a shadow on my right.  
When I turned my head I couldn't believe what was in front of me:  
On the bed was Virginia, her leg covered in blood, a significant part of her calf missing;  
beside her was Beca, blood on her hands and clothes but what stroke me most were her tears falling from her eyes; her sword raised.  
With a fluent move the brunette cut my cousin's leg, just underneath the knee.  
_What the fuck?_


	7. Chapter 7

_AN:  
Ehi there!  
Like someone has already noticed, I'm being inspired by "The walking dead" for the events (even if, when I wrote this story, I didn't remember that Lizzy and Mica were 10 and 12 in the show); I just love the tv show so much and I loved how they were able to create a great universe in it. However, I don't own anything of "The Walking Dead", I just own this story, which I hope will keep you entertained._

**Chapter 7**

**BECA POV**

**10 months and 7 days since it all started**

After knocking down the third walker when I was up the stairs, I didn't know where to go. I thought that I should have waited for Chloe to go find the kids but she wouldn't have been able to help me as shocked as she was.  
I heard moves and laments coming from my right so I went for it: a foot disappeared behind the wall of a room.  
_Shit!  
_Another scream.  
_Shit! Shit! Shit!_  
I saw Timothy's body slide on the floor, probably pushed by his sister, ending on the visible corner of the room.  
When I came into the room I understood nothing good would come out of the situation:  
Virginia had climbed on the kingside bed to avoid the walker who was reaching for the girl's leg. She was shaking, making the undead's 'job' hard but his grip was probably too strong for the 12 year old because he was able to pull her and bit on her leg.  
I was just 2-3 steps behind him.  
_So damn near the geek_!  
Blood started spreading on the sheets.  
_So red!_

Recognizing that this event was similar to the one that haunted my sleep,  
my movements became automatic thereafter:  
I made another step and my sword cut the walker's head in two parts. I knew the important thing was to hit the brain. I took his corpse and throw him behind me.  
Too much blood was coming out the leg.  
I started an interior debate:  
_\- She'll die soon.  
\- No she won't. You have a possibility.  
\- No I don't. It will end like the last time.  
\- You don't know that. She has been bitten just for a few seconds, maybe it's not too late.  
\- It didn't work with HIM, why it'll end differently now?  
\- Do you wanna see her die in your arms without fighting?  
_All the noises around me had ceased.  
I was like hypnotized.  
Just a hiss in my ears.  
Virginia was crying, her tense expression showed that she was in pain.  
Just a hiss in my ears.  
I moved her in a comforter position, rather than for her, for me, so that I could do what I had to.  
Just a hiss in my ears.  
I caressed her cheek: if she was going to die I wanted for her to feel friendliness as a last thing.  
We didn't make eye contact, she didn't have to see my empty look.  
Just a hiss in my ears.  
By that time, my recurring nightmare about my past showed in all its strength in front of my eyes, tormenting my hours of awakening too.

**3 months and 27 days since it all started  
**Our group was at that time composed by 12 members: me, CR, Stacie, Amy, Jesse, Lily, Unicycle, Aubrey, Bumper, Benji, my dad and the stepmonster.  
Yes, my dad and his girlfriend.  
He actually came to look for me when the disease started spreading at Barden; it took days for my group to leave college and that was when we found each other.  
To be honest I was relieved to see have him safe and sound. My relationship with him had improved during my years at Barden, just like the one with Aubrey.  
Yes, I was still a little bitchy with him making sarcastic comments but that was just the way I was.

"Beca, we need to talk" my father said to me.  
I made eye contact with him and without a word he understood that he could speak there.  
"Sheila is not feeling good. I think we have to stop" he whispered to me. I took a glance at her and noticed beads of sweat on her face and on the showing parts of her body.  
_It's just really hot in here. We're 12 people in a bus and we are on the road for what it seems an eternity.  
_"Dad c'mon, we can't stop now. I want to at least reach some place safe where we can camp out. I don't want to spend another night on the floor of this bus"  
He sighed: "I really think it's better if we stop, Beca"  
"Yeah, and I really think it's better if you go back to your girlfriend if you are so concerned about her" I snapped at him, returning my attention to the road.  
I was knelt behind the driver's seat, trying to give Amy the direction I thought was the right one.  
"Ya know we can stop now, we'll continue afta your stepmotha's taken some good air" I heard Amy tell me.  
"No we can't stop. You know how much fuel is wasted every time we start the engine?" and with that I shut her up.  
After about twenty minutes later I saw, on the left, in the distance, a clearing.  
_That's it. There are just a few trees around it so we will not be taken by surprise if walkers will walk on us. Yeah, that's it!  
_"Turn on the left, there" I finger-pointed where I intended for her to turn.  
The clearing had high grass but not so high to be able to hide some legless walker.  
"We are going to camp here for the night folks!"  
I heard everybody cheers to that.  
When we climbed out the bus I noticed Sheila's skin color had turned into a shade of white.  
_She's really sick. Better hurry camping so she can rest a little.  
_"Dad let me help you with the tent" I said to him taking the requirement from his hand.  
"Thank you" he said to me and then he turned his attention to his girlfriend: "Hey honey, I'm going to build the tent, make yourself comfortable on the ground. Here, take this little pillow"  
"You know we're not going to 'build' the tent, right? It's like…you just have to throw it in the air and it will set by itself"  
"Magic doesn't exist Beca"  
"It's not magic dad. It's…engineering...? And to be clear, if walking dead can exist then I wouldn't cross out magic" I smirked at him and he smirked back.

When the night came the blond older woman didn't seem to get better. Even the others became concerned about her health. We decided to use one of the aspirin we took from a drugstore in a town we passed through.  
"I think we are going to lie down in our tent" my father told me.  
"I'm going to stay awake and be on watch. If you need anything, even if I had already went to sleep, just come to call me" I gave him a hug.  
I was not a hug person, not even after the billion hugs Chloe gave me, but I was feeling kinda guilty for Sheila's sickness.  
He nod and taking his girlfriend into his arms he went into their tent.  
I was soon approached by Jesse: "You know it's not your fault right?"  
"Yeah…" I just said to him.  
"If she's sick you can't do anything"  
"I know Jesse...but…"  
"But what Beca?"  
"But I want to be able to help her"  
"You can't help everyone. We are not your problem. We are together so that we can solve problems together" he reasoned.  
_He is right. I know he is right. But then, why I'm feeling guilty?_

It was 3 or 4 a.m. and I had already went to sleep when I heard the zip of my tent being open. My dad's head popped in.  
"Beca, Sheila's really sick. I don't know what to do" I could feel concern in his voice in the pitch darkness of my tent.  
"All right dad. Listen, I'm going to call Aubrey and I will come to your tent. Go to your girlfriend now, we will join you soon"  
Aubrey tried to help us but after seeing the woman she took me out of the tent and told me she didn't really know what was going on with her: "She didn't respond to the aspirin. It sort of seems a flu but there are some things that don't balance. Beca, I don't really know what's going on with her"  
I saw sadness in her eyes .Also the feeling of being inept, but she really wasn't: she was the closest person we could consider a doctor; after all, she went to Atlanta to specialize in one of that medical areas whose name I couldn't even pronounce.  
"Don't worry Bree…I will try to figure something out. Go back to sleep"

Another hour went by and we decided to give Sheila another aspirin. That, however, didn't help.  
Her breathing became slower and slower; it was almost imperceptible.  
I saw her move her right hand and put it on my father's.  
He bend and he brought his ear close to her mouth. She said something to him which caused a weak smile but I couldn't hear. Then he nod and looked at me: "She wants to stay alone. She says you will see her tomorrow"  
I nod. I really didn't want to leave them but it was her wish. I put my hand on her free one and I could feel she was trying to squeeze it but she couldn't. When I looked at her I saw a weak smile and I replied with the same expression.  
When I came out of the tent I decided to not go to sleep but to go near the fire where the one on watch was so that I could be available for anything.  
Another hour and no noise could be heard from my dad's tent.  
_Maybe they're finally resting.  
_I couldn't be more wrong.  
Movements in the tent could be seen at that time.  
_What are they doing? Oh my God…Are they? Oh my, I don't wanna know!  
What the hell? She was so weak, she can't…  
I don't wanna think about it!  
_"BECA!" My dad shouted to call me.  
I was in front of the tent in a second.  
My dad was trying to keep Sheila on the ground.  
_Is she having a seizure?  
_"Dad what's going on?"  
"I don't…I don't know…she died…she was dead…she didn't answer me for like 5 minutes but then she…"  
That was when I saw the bite on his arm.  
"Oh my God dad!" I approached him: "You've been bitten! How…? How…?"  
"It's nothing darling…it's just…"  
"Dad she's a walker! Oh my…a dagger…a…I have to kill her…"  
I couldn't think straight but fortunately I saw a dagger on the ground. I took it and I was going to jab on her head when my father yelled at me: "NO!Don't do that! She was not bitten. She can't be a walker. She…she can't…"  
"Dad! You've been bitten…SHE bit you!"  
"No…no…she can't…"  
_He is in denial._  
I grasp the weapon and with a fast movement I stab her in the head.  
"NO!" an unrecognizable squawk came out my father's mouth.  
Jesse and Aubrey came into the tent. The scene in front of them should have been really bad because they frown immediately.  
'Help' I mouthed to the blonde pointing at my dad's arm.  
Her response was immediate: "Beca put him on the ground…I think we can try to cut his arm. Maybe he will survive"  
"What?"  
"It's the only possibility Beca" She just stated.  
"All right, all right…"  
I put my father down on his back and I took the dagger in my hand. Again.  
Jesse climbed on him, to make him stay put: he wasn't straggling a lot, maybe he had already lost too much blood and it was affecting him, but Jesse's precautions were right because just as I pushed the blade harder on my dad's flash he started screaming.  
I could feel all the muscles, all the nerves being cut by my blade.  
I didn't think I could ever forget that sensation.  
At some point my dad stopped moving, maybe for the shock of the pain.  
Cutting his arm was easier at that time and when I finished I rushed out of the tent, hating the iron scent coming from my dad's and Sheila's blood.

At the first light of the day, some walkers had already shown up and been taken down by me and the ones who were on watch. The activity was a really good way to free my mind from bad thoughts.  
My father was brought out the tent and he was being taken care by Aubrey.  
"Beca?" I heard her call me softly.  
When I approached her she patted on the ground, on her left, to make me sit near her.  
"I'm really sorry Beca…"  
"Why are you apologizing Bree?" I didn't understand.  
"I…I wasn't able to do anything with Sheila and…and now we don't know if your dad's gonna be ok…"  
"Aubrey…Aubrey look at me" she turned her face to look me in the eyes: "You've done everything you could. It's not your fault. We don't know anything about this new world, least of all how to nurse people"  
She nodded.  
"It's not your fault either…"  
I nodded.  
We decided to go near the fire, it was quite cold.  
After some minutes I heard a wheeze from behind me and I noticed my father was starting to move.  
_Is he ok? Did it work?  
_Obviously, my hopes were broken.  
We instantly understood that what we had in front of us was not the man we knew before.  
Jesse embraced me from behind to stop me.  
"Jesse! Leave me! I have to kill him!" I started shouting at him.  
"No Beca. You don't have to. Someone else can"  
"No…you don't understand Jesse. It's my fault. He…She…she could have survived if I listened to my father…he would have been alive if…It's…"  
In the meantime the geek in front of us, with the body of my father, was reaching us.  
"Jesse…let me kill him. He would have want for me to do it. It's my burden to curry…"  
The geek was nearer and nearer.  
_Nobody can do this. I have to do this. I can't let anyone kill him. I have to feel the burden of killing some of us. I've already killed Sheila. Yes, I've already done that. I can kill him too. Nobody has to feel the same dark feeling I'm feeling. Nobody. I have to protect them._  
Most probably Jesse had looked at Aubrey for a confirmation because I saw her nod in our direction mouthing something like: "It's not our call".  
Jesse loosened his arms and I was finally freed.  
I unsheathed my sword from the shoulder case and I approached him.  
All the noises around me stopped.  
I couldn't hear anything, just the words I was repeating in my head:  
_I'm sorry dad._

_AN:  
Sooooo…  
Had you already understood that the reason why Beca doesn't feel like she makes right decisions is because of her father's death?  
At the end of the 5th chapter I told you I needed Aubrey to know medicine for a later chapter, so yeah, what you read my friends was the reason why._


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

**BECA POV**

**10 months and 7 days since it all started**

"Oh my God" I heard Chloe say but I couldn't look at her, I had to take care of Virginia.  
"She's bleeding out…" I whispered, thinking about the next move.  
"We have to go back. Chloe, come here!"  
The redhead was getting closer, but not fast enough.  
"Quick Chloe! Put pressure on the knee. Push hard!"  
She came around, staying alert about my actions.  
_I've scared her.  
_"I need you to hold this" and I handed her a piece of fabric I tore from my tank top.  
I tried to look in her eyes when her face came close to mine but she kept looking at her cousin:  
"The hardest you can Chlo"  
_If there are other walkers downstairs it will get ugly. How can we do this. Think Beca, think!  
_"Tim, take your bag and your sister's" I looked at the boy; seeing he was responsive and got up, I returned my attention to Chloe:  
"Take her in your arms, we have to go back to the car. When we'll be downstairs I'll go take the bags in the kitchen and then we can get out of here. Don't go out without me. Understood?"  
She nodded.  
No walker came across us so I left the 3 people in the hall and went in the kitchen. The bags were pretty packed so I just closed them and got back.  
_Where the hell are they?  
_They were not in the hall anymore.  
_Shit!  
_I cursed when I understood Chloe had to have got back to the car.  
Exiting the house I saw a walker chasing the group who, running , was distancing it.  
However, the fact that Chloe was carrying the girl and had also to stay behind Timothy, was slowing her down, a lot.  
Afraid that they could be caught up I sprinted towards the walker and stroke it out. I then joined the group and taking the boy in my arms I opened the front car door and almost throw him in it: I knew Chloe would have wanted to stay near the girl in the back seats.  
Leaving the bags on the back of the car I started the engine and when the redhead had settled herself and her cousin, we left.

For the first part of the journey we couldn't do anything to Virginia: the walkie-talkie we had with us couldn't work at that distance. That, however, didn't stop me from trying every 5 minutes to contact the group since we left the dirt road.  
"Why you keep ignoring my instructions?" I asked Chloe pissed.  
"We didn't have time! I had to take Vivy out of there quickly!"  
"And then what? I had the keys! I was the one who could protect you!"  
We were screaming.  
"You can't really do anything Beca! Or can't you see that Vivy doesn't have a leg anymore?"  
_Does she blame me?  
Oh my God, it's my fault.  
Is it really? Why is it my fault?  
It's always my fault. I had to protect them.  
"_You shouldn't have gone out without me Chloe!"  
"And why's that?"  
"I told you! I'm here to protect you!"  
"And I told you that you already failed that!"  
I had no words anymore. She was right. She was so right.  
_I can't even protect a 12 year old girl who's in her bedroom._  
Suddenly I could hear distorted voices, other than just the crackle of the device, and I instinctively sped up.  
"Guys! Is there anyone? Guys" I kept repeating.  
"Becaw!" Jesse spoke.  
"Jesse I need you to go call Aubrey instantly!"  
"Why? What's wrong? Are you ok?" I rolled my eyes.  
"Now Jesse!"  
"All right, wait there"  
In the meantime, looking in the rear-view mirror, I tried to reassure Chloe:  
"It's going to be ok. She's going to be fine…"  
I just got a furious, rapid look._  
_"Beca?" I heard Aubrey's voice on the walkie-talkie.  
"Aubrey, thank God, we have a situation. I had to cut Virginia's leg because of a bite. Tell me what we need to do before we arrive"  
I was trying to prevent my voice from cracking.  
"You what?"  
"C'mon Bree, you know it, it was the only thing I could do…"  
Silence.  
"All right. You have to press on the leg with bandages"  
"We don't have 'em Bree"  
"Then…use whatever you have with you"  
That's when Chloe removed her shirt replacing the piece of cloth I gave her before.  
_Focus Beca! You've already seen her in her bra millions of times.  
_"You have to keep her leg elevated. Put something under it" was Aubrey's second instruction, reverting my attention to the problem.  
"Maybe we can burn the wound…" Chloe suggested.  
"She won't stand the shock" was Aubrey's response.  
"Is she gonna die? Oh my, she's gonna turn" I could hear someone ask while Aubrey was instructing us.  
"She's not gonna turn. I got it in time!" I yelled in the device. It was stupid; they couldn't even hear me since I didn't press the button to speak in the device.

When we arrived at the camp Aubrey had already set a tent where we could put up Virginia. However we decided to treat her outside first.  
"Did the flow stop already?" the skinny blonde asked me.  
"It slowed down a bit but no, it did not stop yet" Chloe answered: "If we can get her through this…"  
I stopped her: "WHEN we'll get her through this"  
"We'll need crutches" she kept looking at Aubrey, ignoring me.  
"Yes but right now…I need some antibiotics and painkillers" the skinny blonde instructed Stacie, who was on her side: "Oh, and some sterile gauze too please"  
"On my way" Stacie said, aiming for the bus where we had the infirmary spot.

"What happened?" Jesse asked, separating himself from the group that had banked up not far away from the temporary infirmary and reaching for me.  
"I don't know…One minute it was all ok and the next minute the kids are attacked by a fucking walker" I sighed.  
Timothy was standing next to me. Even if he saw me cut his sister's leg he didn't seem afraid of me.  
However I noticed he didn't say anything since the accident:  
"Ehi buddy are you ok?"  
The little boy just looked up, locking eyes with me and nodded. No words.  
"Are you hungry?"  
Another nod.  
_Why isn't he speaking?  
_"Jess, can you please go take something to eat for him?" I asked Jesse.  
"Yeah of course. Do you want to go with me buddy?" he asked to Timothy.  
The little boy just ignored him and instead took my hand in his.  
I made a little smile to Jesse to make him understand that he had to go alone. He nodded and went away.  
"Are you going to speak or you'll just stay silent forever?"  
Timothy just shrugged.  
_Well at least he's not afraid of me or angry.  
_We were quite far from where Aubrey put Virginia down. I didn't want to stay near them and probably Timothy was feeling the same way since he stayed with me.  
However one of my reasons was definitely not his too: Chloe was still shirtless.

She was so concerned about her cousin that she didn't even noticed that. I was literally drooling over her. And I hated it. It was not the time. But I could still feel her hand on my arm. I could still see her eyes darkening looking into mine.  
_Is she into me? Does she feel the same way?  
Well, even if she did, after what I've done she will hate me.  
But I may have saved her cousin. She would have been dead already if I didn't cut her leg.  
But Chloe doesn't know that.  
She is right in front of me with that amazing body and I can't reach for her.  
She looks at me like I'm a monster.  
__I don't wanna see in her eyes, I can't see how much she hates me.__  
_"Becaw"  
"I already told you, don't call me that Jesse!" I sighed.  
"I prepared something for you too. You have to be hungry"  
"No I'm not. I just want for Virginia to wake up"  
"You know it's not going to happen any time soon…Keep yourself busy…I don't know, do you want company?"  
I looked in his eyes and saw concern and something else I couldn't understand. Even if we had been together I still couldn't understand what was going on in his mind sometimes.  
I didn't want company.  
It was late afternoon so I could tell everyone I was tired and that I needed to rest but lately I didn't give Jesse much attention and he was my best friend after all.  
"We can go fishing at the lake. I still can't understand the last thing you taught me, you know, that thing…"  
He smirked at me. He understood that it was just an excuse to spend some time with him.  
I smirked back.  
When I asked Timothy if he wanted to go with us at the lake I could see his eyes sparkle.  
"Do you know how to fish bud?"  
Heshook his head.  
"Then we're going to teach you. We are the best out here you know" I winked at him.  
As an answer I received a wide smile._  
_We were ready to leave when, out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Chloesobbing in Aubrey's arms. The blonde told something in the redhead's ear and released her from the embrace. Chloe then took Stacie's hand in hers and shook it with sweetness as to thank her for her help. With the other hand Stacie handed her a shirt that maybe she took when she went to take the blonde's requests. The girl smiled at Chloe and releasing her hand diverted her attention at Aubrey.  
I quickly realized that I was jealous of that exchanges. After Chloe's hatred look, I knew the redhead wouldn't look at me like she was looking at Aubrey at that time. However I didn't blame her.

I was so stupid. I didn't know if it was me who left the door open but even if it wasn't, I should have checked. I should have been more careful but instead I let down my guard and that brought us where we were.  
While I was blaming myself, Chloe reached us.  
"Tim, come with me?"  
I noticed that his grip on my hand increased and when I locked my eyes with his I saw hesitancy. I was confused. She was his aunt, he should have trusted her more than me.  
Than I understood.  
He was not afraid to go with her.  
He was afraid to leave me.  
I didn't know how but he understood my inner thoughts. He understood I was in pain and he didn't want to leave me alone to face my feelings.  
But I smiled at him and nodded. I wasn't alone after all: I had Jesse who offered to take care of me.  
He replied with a little smile and releasing my hand he took Chloe's.  
"Jesse lets go" I told the boy, not even daring to look at Chloe.

**CHLOE POV  
**Aubrey was still looking at Virginia's legs. When Stacie brought her what she asked for I saw her smiling at the brunette as a thank you and she immediately redirected her attention to my cousin.  
"We just have to wait now" she told me and stood up.  
I instinctively hugged Aubrey. I had to feel comfort and I was starting to feel a little cold so I put my arms around her.  
"It was stupid of me to let them go upstairs alone back there"  
"It's not your fault Chlo…It could have happened to anyone" I could feel Aubrey's hand caress my back while I was starting to sob.  
"What am I going to do without her? What is Timothy going to do?"  
Aubrey distanced herself from me to look me in the eyes:  
"Don't, Chlo. Stop it. She's going to wake up!"  
"And then what. She will not be able to walk. All you've ever done since this all started was running"  
"She's strong. She'll make it"  
"Let's live in the reality Bree…"  
She hugged me again, enable to say something more.  
"Why don't you go check on Timothy? And maybe put a shirt on you" She smiled.  
That was when I became aware of my half nakedness.  
_Oh maybe that's why I was starting to feel cold.  
_I blushed.  
I looked at Stacie and I saw that she was holding a shirt for me. I wore it just after thanking her for her help.  
Diverting my attention to my cousin I could see that Beca was talking to him.  
I was having conflicted feelings towards her.  
I wanted her, God how much I wanted her but I hated her too.  
That was when I finally understood a Latin poem I was taught at Barden. And I kept repeating it in my head:  
_Odi et amo. Quare id faciam, fortasse requires.  
Nescio, sed fieri sentio et excrucior._

_*I hate and I love. Perhaps you ask why I do this?  
I do not know, but I feel it happen and I am torn apart.*  
_Repeating it in my head, I couldn't look at Beca in her eyes.  
I didn't know what I would do otherwise.  
So, I just directed my attention to my cousin and asked him if he wanted to follow me.  
I didn't even know where.  
I noticed he seek for Beca's confirmation and I was confused.  
_Isn't he afraid of her? She cut his sister's leg in front of him.  
_I then noticed him releasing the brunette's hand and took mine instead.  
That was when Beca finally spoke, and she did that just to invite Jesse to follow her.  
"Yeah, have fun together" the words escaped my mouth before I could stop them.


	9. Chapter 9

_AN:  
The poem at the end of the previous chapter was "Odi et Amo" by Catullo. It's a very beautiful poem. Hope you've like it._

**Chapter 9**

**BECA POV**

**10 months and 7 days since it all started**

"What was that?" I did hear Chloe actually, but I wanted to understand what she meant.

"Nothing" she whispered.

"No, you said something. Repeat it, now"

"C'mon Becs, let it go" Jesse intervened.

"I'm not going to let it go" I snapped at him.  
"Chloe, can you please repeat what you told us?"

I was being stupid. I knew it. What kind of reaction was that? And what I was trying to gain from this argument?

"I said have fun" the redhead finally repeated.

"No Chloe, you said 'have fun together'. Care to explain what you were implying?"

"I was not implying anything"

"Beca, it's nothing. It's not worth it. You know that" Jesse tried to step in between, again.

"Listen to him. As always" another dig at the relationship me and Jesse had in the past.

_Seriously? That's where she wants to go?_

"Don't you dare speak about my past relationships Chloe!" I finally shout at her.  
"You don't know anything. And that's your fault. Not mine.  
Don't you dare speak as YOU were the one hurt!"  
I grabbed Jesse's hand and stormed away.

* * *

The lake where we were used to go fishing was full of fishes.  
During the short period our group had spent here, Jesse and I had enjoyed catch fishes almost every day;  
if we hadn't gone on a mission for another kind of supplies, obviously.

The bank was composed by polished rocks;  
our game was searching for rocks with strange shapes.  
Jesse always prevailed.

Words were unessential when we were there.  
We were good with our silence.

* * *

"Becs…What was all of that about?" Jesse decided to break the unspoken rule of our silence.

We were sit down, blending the rocks under us.

When I answered him, I stopped my hand:  
"I don't know. I saw red. And I'm not talking about her hair. I just…she doesn't even look in my eyes anymore. She's angry with me for what I've done to her cousin…"

"You may have saved her cousin Beca, you don't have to feel guilty for anything" he put his hand on mine, caressing it with his thumb.

"I know! I know, but SHE makes me feel guilty. And I don't want to. I'm tired Jesse, I'm so tired of this feeling inside of me that tells me I'm not enough" a tear was threatening to drop.  
I removed my hand from under his, too uncomfortable at the touch.

"But you are Beca. You are enough. You are enough for me!"

_Did he really say that?_

"I…"

"Don't, Becs. I know…I-It's just that...It's easy to feel lonely in this world sometimes you know"

"I know…But we can't"

"Why?" he whispered, starting with blending the rocks again.

"We spoke about it already Jess. We're not meant. We can't be more than friends. We tried, and it was killing us"

"I made some mistakes. But it's in the past. I can fix us…" he kept whispering.

"It was not purely your fault and you know that. I couldn't give you my heart Jesse and…" I was going to finish my sentence when he kissed me.

His lips felt rough against mine, a sensation that I never felt when we kissed in the past.

I was feeling something unknown and I didn't understand if I wanted to embrace it or not.

But I was confused. I was mad. I was hurt.

So I kissed him back.

I parted my lips for him, letting his tongue explore my mouth after so much time.

I could feel his body getting closer to mine, making me uncomfortable.

When his hand came resting on my chick I realized what we were doing. What _I_ was doing.

I pushed him away.

The shock on his face made me realize I did something stupid:

I made him believe we could've got back together.

"I don't feel the same way Jesse…I'm sorry…I'm really really sorry" and I stormed away, away from him and away from my fucking problems.

* * *

When I reached the tent tears were already streaming on my chicks.

On the way back I came across Amy, who asked me if I was ok, and Stacie and Aubrey who were speaking on a fallen tree. Worthless saying I didn't even bother to answer their worried questions.

Probably 5 minutes had passed when I heard the zip of my tent being lift.

I was lying down, with an arm on my eyes to cover them and the other hand strumming lazily the strings of the guitar Chloe gave me.

"Go away" I said, leaving my arm on my eyes, denying myself the possibility to know who it was. It didn't even matter, either if it was Jesse who wanted to apologize or Aubrey who wanted to know what was happening. I wanted to be alone.

"Beca…" a soft voice called me.

I sit down immediately, recognizing the voice that pronounced my name.

"Don't move Beca…" the redhead said, sending shivers down my spine because of her low tone.

"Chloe what are you doing?"

"What do you think I'm doing?" I could see a smirk on her lips.

"I…Well…I-I think you've…you've mistaken the tent…?" I tried to joke. Completely taken aback by the redhead's behavior.

Chloe just kept smirking at me, cradling her body against mine.

A moan was threatening to escape my mouth.

"What's goin-" but Chloe crushed our mouths together.

_Is it 'kiss Beca to make her shut up' day for Christ's sake?_

The redhead lips felt completely different from Jesse's: softness was the first thing I thought of.

However, contrary to Jesse's kiss, which was gentle and sweet, Chloe's was full of anger and disappointment.

She essentially imposed me to part my lips so that our tongues could fight in a fiery battle for dominance.

I felt Chloe's hands come up between our bodies and grip my shirt, pulling me roughly against her.

My hands started toying with her beautiful red locks.

Chloe's hands were traveling down my hips when I felt them slide under my shirt, making me shiver for the direct contact with our skins.

"God…" I moaned detaching my lips from hers.

Grabbing Chloe's hair in my hand, I bended her head slightly to latch onto the redhead's pulse point. I could hear her groaning at the contact and I smirked at the effect I was having on her.

Removing my lips from her neck I finally looked in her eyes.

She looked back at me and…

_Is it…?_

She advanced with her face towards me, diverting her eyes at my lips, but I placed a hand on her chest stopping her from closing the little distance.

Confused, she looked me in the eyes again.

"You hate me" I whispered between myself.

I could see that feeling deep in her eyes.

"Get out" I whispered in a low voice, still aroused from what had just happened.

"What?" Chloe asked me confused.

I diverted my eyes to a corner of the tent.

"I said, get out!" I repeated.

The redhead was still taken aback by the change in my demeanor;

she tried to kiss me again, but I stopped her immediately, again.

"Don't you dare kiss me. GET OUT!" and I tried to put some distance between us crawling backward.

"You want this!"

"You're STILL mad at me!"

"But you can have me!"

"I don't want you like this!"

"You're wasting an opportunity!"

"No, I'm not. You don't want me!"

"I…"

"Leave me alone Chloe!"

It seemed I convinced her since she went quite; I was waiting for her to exit when she floored me with a slap on my cheek. Just after that she left the tent, leaving me in shock with my hand touching the part of the skin she hit and which was probably already red.

* * *

Chloe's actions ruined my attempt to sleep so it was worthless lingering in the tent.  
I buried my head in my hands and my throat went sore because of the many 'fuck' I repeated.  
That, however, didn't release me from the anger the day had brought out of me so I took my guitar with the intent to go playing in some place isolated.

I was already out of my tent when I saw Timothy turning his attention towards me and smiled;  
he was with Chloe, Aubrey and Stacie; the redhead had probably joined the duo after leaving my tent.

_I wonder if she told them what happened._

The boy approached me and pointed at the guitar I was holding.

"I was going to play some songs. Do you wanna come?"I smiled softly.

He shook his head.

"Oh well then, I'll see you around" and I was going to part from him when he grabbed me by my guitar, making me turning back my attention at him.

"What?"

He just looked me in the eyes.

"I'm starting to hate your word strike you know?" I sighed.

_Maybe he wants to hear me play but he doesn't want to leave the group. I wouldn't blame him after what he went through…_

"Do you wanna hear something here?"

He nodded.

_Chloe was right about me being good with kids.  
Who would have said that?_

I looked at the 3 girls.  
They were watching my exchange with the boy with a little smile on their lips, except for Chloe of course:  
she was just looking at Timothy with a look I couldn't decipher.

Not so distance from them I saw Benji, Unicycle and Jesse speaking animatedly.

Jesse probably sensed someone was watching them because he turned his head around and noticed it was me: his eyes lost the light they had and darkened, from pain.

I could sense he was having an internal battle about approaching me or not and he unfocused his attention from Benji and Unicycle; I made a weak smile hoping he could understand I didn't blame him for his actions. I then shook my head to stop him from coming to me and in reply I gained a bashful smile from him.

"Well bud, I think I have the right song to sing to you. But it's been a while since I played so don't judge too harshly" I smirked at him.

I sit down and Timothy sit next to me.

I was left-handed, but I learned to play the guitar from my mother who was right-handed so the instrument Chloe gave me was good.

Jesse had focused on his friends again but when he noticed I was going to play the guitar he started glancing at me from time to time waiting for me to sing.

"Just…ehm…It's a song I wrote a few years ago…I was supposed to use a capo but well, I don't have it with me now so…I hope I will be able to play it anyway"

I started strumming on the guitar, trying not to play too hard because I didn't want for the walkers to invade our camp.

_I missed the feeling of the strings under my fingers._

I made the last chord before the verse and then I started singing:

**Well maybe I'm a crook for stealing your heart away**

**Yeah maybe I'm a crook for not caring for it**

**Yeah maybe I'm a bad, bad, bad, bad person**

**Well baby, I know**

My eyes were closed

I was trying to focus on the words.

**And these fingertips, will never run through your skin**

**And those light brown eyes can only meet mine across a room**

**Filled with people that are less important than you**

It was time for the chorus and I opened my eyes.

I looked at Jesse and I knew his heart was aching.

**All cause you love, love, love when you know I can't love**

**You love, love, love when you know I can't love**

**You love, love, love when you know I can't love you**

I made the last round of chords and then I stopped.

I was still looking at Jesse when I felt a little hand rest on my thigh.  
I looked at Timothy and smiled at his gesture.

The boy stood up and he joined his aunt who took his hand and they both went somewhere.  
My view blocked by Aubrey's body.

"We have to talk Beca" she said inflexible.

"Yeah we surely have to" I smirked, looking at Stacie who was trying to light a fire.

"Not about me and Stacie"

"There's a 'me and Stacie' then mh?" I kept joking.

She blushed.

_Has something happened without me noticing?_

"I'm serious Beca"

"All right, all right. But you're trying to hide something there" I waved my hands between her and Stacie:  
"We have a long night in front of us girl"

* * *

I decided that since we would have stayed awake to speak, me and Aubrey could have been the one on watch for the night.

"So…that song mh?" Aubrey said, stinging a log into the fire.

"Yeah, that song…"

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"There's nothing to talk about. One moment I'm speaking with Jesse and the other he's kissing me. I kiss him back because I so damn want to love him. But I don't. And Chloe proves me right because she creeps into my tent and kisses me too and I'm feeling all that bullshits they say you feel when you kiss the one. But she hates me, she so fucking hates me. But she has no right. I'm the one who has to be pissed. She didn't speak to me for years, not even a message or a postcard. And what's the first thing I do when I find her again? I hug her. I just hug her. Like I didn't cry for her every night. Like I didn't leave Jesse because of her" I stopped opening my eyes wide at my affirmation.

_I've never confessed it out loud._

"So you left him because you loved her…" she whispered.

"I..."  
_Saying it out loud makes it so real…_  
"…When Chloe went away, leaving me behind, I started asking myself if I was enough. If she left me without a goodbye because she didn't care about me, you know. And that created some friction between me and Jesse…"

I kept speaking:

"He always wanted to see movies. It was like…like he wanted to change me…like he wanted to make me something I was not. I was not enough for him neither…"

"He just wanted to make you understand one of the most important things to him. He just wanted to make you see the world as he saw it"

"But I didn't want to…"

"And why's that?"

"Because I liked how I saw the world. I-it was the way Chloe made me see it"

"You've always loved her world" the blonde turned her attention at me and smiled softly.

"I've always loved _her_" I stated.

_AN:  
"Love love love" by Of Monsters And Men  
I changed the lyrics a little to adapt 'em at the situation, but I don't claim any right on the song._


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10:**

**BECA POV**

**10 months and 8 days since it all started**

When we finished talking about my problems, the sky was dark already.  
It was definitely after midnight.

"Now, you have to tell me about you and Stacie" I smirked at Aubrey, who immediately blushed.

"There's not much to say…"

"Evasive…"

"I don't know where to start…"

"Just tell me what you want for me to know. I'm your friend Bree, I'm here just to listen to whatever you wanna say"

"It's not that I don't want to speak about it with you. It's just…It's complicated…"

"Isn't it always?"

We slid in a comforting silence.

"I have a crush on her"

"Not a surprise"

When she looked at me I made a reassuring smile.

"I told her it was annoying me, her flirting I mean. When she told me it was just the way she was I told her that the thing that bothered me was not her flirting with me, but her flirting with the others too."

"Oh" I just said. It was quite a confession what she said to the brunette.

"Yeah 'oh'. That was Stacie's reaction too. But then…Then she apologized. And I was confused because we were not together, she didn't have to apologize. She told me I get her nervous when we are alone. That her flirting with me is different than what she does with the others. She said that I make her feel like she is more than just a, and I quote, hot chick…"

She looked down, suddenly shy about her memories.

"Are you like a thing now?"

_It a legitimate question, isn't it?_

"No, we're not"

"Why?"

"It's com-"

"Complicated, I know" I finished her sentence.

It was not like I didn't understand; it was just that I knew life was short and love was a privilege: if a person could have shared it with someone, then they should have pursued it.

A yawn escaped the blonde's mouth when we slipped into silence again.

"Go to sleep Bree…I'm happy you told me all of that" I smiled.

"Aren't you going to sleep too?"

"I'm not really sleepy you know. I think I'm going to wait the sunrise. It's always beautiful"

"I can see it with you…" another yawn.

"No, you will not. You're tired and you need energy"

She sighed.

"Please, try to sleep. It was a really exhausting day for you, both for your body and your mind. We need you focused and with all your strength"

"I promise I will…if I start feeling weary"

She smiled softly at me and shaking my hand a little to reassure me my decision was ok, she aimed for her tent.

* * *

I didn't know how much time passed since Aubrey went to bed, but I was starting feeling dizzy, maybe for the exertion of the day.

I decided that in the state I was in, I couldn't be really useful at watch so I called CR to replace me.

However, before going to bed, I thought a visit to the tent where we placed Virginia was a good idea.  
I knew there couldn't be anyone because we decided nobody could sleep near her: she was a threat; we made that mistake once, there was no reason to do it twice. However, Chloe didn't know the story of my father and Sheila so it took us several minutes to convince her she couldn't stay with her cousin.

From outside the tent, I could hear no sound. Virginia was not moving, either as a walker or as a person.

I came in and I wrinkled my nose at the iron smell the air was impregnated with.

Seeing the girl in the state she was made me feel even guiltier, if it was possible.  
"I'm really sorry Vivy…" I started talking.

I didn't know if she could hear me, but I felt like I had to speak to her anyway.

"I'm sorry you had to go throw this. I failed my group; I failed Chloe; I failed YOU. You didn't deserve this. You didn't deserve this world we're in. You deserved a great life, with your parents, full of happiness, and love. I'm sorry I did this to you" I looked at her cut leg.

"I hope you'll wake up. I don't hope you'll forgive me. I don't deserve that. I just hope you'll smile at Chlo and your brother" I smiled a little thinking about the first time I saw her smiling when we entered the house and she saw her cousin.

"I hope you'll make Chloe smile again" and when I said that, I gently moved a lock of her dark-blonde hair from her forehead.  
I kept my hand on it, creating little circles with my thumb, trying to soothe whatever pain she certainly was feeling.

She wheezed, and I froze.

_Is she awakening?_

The wheezes became more frequent and she even started to move a little.  
A hand, the foot, an arm…

"Virginia?" I whispered.

I didn't have my sword with me, but I had a dagger.  
It would have been enough for a hit in the head.

_Even if she's a walker, if you kill her, Chloe will hate you forever.  
Well, she hates you already so…  
Maybe it's best if you go call Aubrey, now!_

While I was thinking that, Virginia's eyes opened.  
Slowly, so slowly it was a torture, but I was finally able to see them:  
I saw amazing brown eyes looking at me.

"You are you…" I whispered, going back at circling her forehead with my thumb.

The girl tried to speak, but no sound escaped her mouth.

_Her throat must be dry._

"Virginia…"  
when her eyes stopped looking around and paused on me, I continued:  
"You're all right. You're safe. I know you must be thirsty, but I don't have water here with me so I have to go outside and go take it for you. I'm also going to call a doctor, so she can visit you. I know it's all overwhelming, but you're ok. You're going to be fine"

I didn't even wait for her to give me a sign of acknowledgment.  
I was starting to have problems breathing and I preferred going out to take good air.  
My sight became blurred and I fell on my knees.

_Am I having a panic attack?  
Why? She's ok._

CR had to notice me because I found her near me, calling me.

"…Aubrey" I was able to say in between gasps.

I could read the concern in the black girl's eyes.

"Go…C-c-call…Bree…" the blonde's name came out of my mouth as an exhalation.

_My chest burns so much…  
_It was all I could think about while waiting.

"Beca?!" Aubrey's voice made me open my eyes which I didn't even notice I closed.

Breathlessly I pointed out Virginia's tent, repeating her name to make Aubrey understand she had to go in there.  
But the blonde kept turning her head from me to the tent, without moving a muscle towards it.

"Go…V-Vi-vy…"

_It damn burns!_

I didn't even notice that in addition to Aubrey, Chloe had come.  
The redhead went out the tent, hurrying towards the blonde and me.

"She's awake!" Chloe just said.

"What?" the blonde asked her.

"Vivy! She's awake. She's alive. She has drifted to sleep again, but she is alive. She's not a walker!"

While she was saying that I could finally see the smile I so much wanted to see again. That smile that reached her eyes too, making them glowing a bit.  
I didn't even care that Chloe wasn't worried about me.  
I was not worried about me neither.

"Chlo, I can't leave Beca's side. If you say she has woken up and then she closed her eyes too there's nothing I can do more. Just…put a wet hanky on her forehead. If you don't want to go to sleep again, stay near her, but I think she will not wake up before noon…"  
Said that, she returned her attention to me.

A slick layer of sweat started covering my body.  
All the talks around me were like they were spoken far away from me.

I closed my eyes trying to even out my breaths, focusing on them.

I couldn't hear Aubrey perfectly, but her calming voice was having a positive effect on me.

* * *

I opened my eyes.  
_When did I close 'em?_  
_What is it with me not keeping my eyes open?_

The view around me had changed;  
I was not under the sky anymore: I was in the bus.  
They had made room for me between all our stuffs: the place was already a mess but in need to make space for me in a hurry, they piled things up even messier.

My body hurt.  
When I tried to move, my muscles ached.  
But I tried to sit anyway: I did not survive till now without fighting pain after all.  
My head started spinning.  
I had to steady myself grabbing on to a part of the seat still at sight.  
I could feel my throat burning, so I searched for a bottle of water.  
When I found it, maybe left near me by someone, I guzzled down the entire bottle.

"You're awake, finally" I heard CR's voice.

"You scared me out there you know?" she said smiling at me.

"What happened?" I asked with effort.  
"You tell me girl!"  
I sighed.  
_I don't know._

"How much did I sleep?"  
"A day. We were hoping you would have slept more, but a day can do for now…"  
"Yeah…Maybe it's because of that that my head hurts so much. It's like I crashed it into a wall, jeez!" I smiled at CR, to make her understand I was fine nevertheless.

"We are going to have lunch. Jesse and Benji went fishing. Are you hungry?" and she came near me trying to help me stand.

"Hell yeah! I can eat you whole!" we laughed at that and we headed for where the group was reunited.

* * *

The fresh air benefited me.

At the time we arrived between the others, my head was almost ok.

I was greeted with hellos and pats on the shoulders. That instead, didn't benefit me too much.  
But I smiled at all of them, covering my pain: they were worried about me, and they were happy to know I was ok.

I was going to sit down when I saw a glimpse of red on the other side of the campfire we circled.  
Near Chloe was Virginia.  
I didn't think. I didn't even noticed I was starting to aim towards them.  
I outflanked Stacie who was talking with Aubrey; I passed throw Benji who was making a magic trick entertaining Timothy.

"Virginia…" I said softly when I was near the two girls, but not too much to scare them.

Again, brown eyes looked into mine.

But, before I could even say something other the little girl's name, Chloe put herself between me and her.

"Don't take another step" she coldly said.

I looked at her confused.

"What did you say?" I kept my voice low, gritting my teeth.

"You don't touch her. You don't come near her. You don't speak to her." her eyes on fire.

"What's all of this about?!" I half screamed this time, earning the attention of all the people around us.

"You don't even look at her!" she kept saying.

"Wh-" I was going to speak when I was interrupted.

"Chloe?" I heard Aubrey's voice coming from behind me.

"Aubrey, don't! Even better, take Beca with you and go away from us."

I couldn't believe what the redhead was saying.

"It's not my fucking fault Chloe!"

"I don't care what you think! Leave us alone!"

"You must be kiddin'!"

All the blood was going to my brain.

That was definitely not healthy for me since I recovered just minutes before.

"Beca" Aubrey's firm voice startled me.  
I looked at her and I could see she was furious too:  
"Let's go"

"No!"

"BECA! I said let's go!" she grabbed my arm.

I was carried away without the possibility to say something else.

* * *

I knew I scared Timothy with the shouts.  
When Chloe threatened me about going near her and Virginia, she didn't say anything about the boy.  
Her attention was constantly on Vivy, so it was easy for me approaching Timothy without another scene.

So, after eating, I approached Timothy, who was still being entertained by Benji, under a tree.

"Ehi guys…" I said, obtaining their attention.

"Ehi Beca. You made us worried yesterday" Benji greeted me with one of his clumsy smiles.  
When Jesse and I broke up, he didn't blame me.  
Of course, he was on Jesse's side but he never hated me for hurting his friend.  
I didn't know if it was for lack of true friendship or for lack of knowledge about friendship.  
However, I was glad he kept saying hello to me and having brief conversations when we met in the hallway.

"Sometimes even badass people like me have to rest, unfortunately" I smirked at Timothy.

"I'm happy you're fine now. Ehm…I need to go talk to Jesse so…Have a nice day. Bye little boy" he ruffled Timothy's hair.

I smiled at Benji and I smiled even wider when I saw Timothy trying to sort his hair like before.  
"Ehi buddy…"  
I didn't know if I could make another step towards him and close the gap between us.  
I knew children were a hard nut to crack, and if his cousin was mad at me, maybe he was mad too.

But, my worries were all swept away by his actions:  
he literally threw himself towards me, embracing me by my hips and making me almost stumble backward.

"I'm sorry for the scene before…" I apologized, caressing his head.

"I just wanted to apologize with your sister…for what happened…but…well, can you do me a favor?"

He nodded.

"Can you say sorry for me to your sister?" I looked straight into his eyes.

At his nod, I smirked at him, a smirk he mirrored.

_AN:  
I'm having a writer's block, if I can be considered a writer.  
I hope I will be able to update the next chapter in time.  
However, I'm not going to drop out this story because I'm really grateful to all of you who read it, even the ones who don't review.  
See you soon! :D_


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